


Pawssession

by XiuChen4Ever



Series: CatDemon AU [1]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Demons, Alternate Universe - Police, Angry Sex, Catboy!Tao, Character Death, Chief Inspector!Minseok, Cock & Ball Torture, Crime Scenes, Demon!Chen, Dubious Consent, Hate to Love, I'm sorry Junmyeon, I'm sorry Kris, Kink Negotiation, M/M, Office Supplies, Sadism, Urban Fantasy, Violence, Violet Wand, catboy!chen, terrible puns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-07-01 00:35:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 147,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15762993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XiuChen4Ever/pseuds/XiuChen4Ever
Summary: Most cats are at least a little bit evil, but Chief Inspector Minseok's cat is actually a demon.He's mouthy, bratty, and extremely possessive, and he interferes with Minseok's detective work as often as he helps...but he's also sexy as hell.Chief Inspector Kim Minseok is an upright defender of law and justice.  He works hard to keep Seoul as safe as possible, leading his stalwart and clever team in solving crimes, catching bad guys, and protecting the innocent.  He's a good man, strong and brave and loyal and proud of his ongoing success.He's also not-so-secretly soft-hearted, so when he finds a forlorn-looking feline crouching in the middle of a chaotic crime scene, he can't leave the poor creature there with no one to take care of it.  He scoops it up to see to its well-being, never even imagining that he might have just voluntarily attached a demon to himself.But now he has a strange man on his sofa, eating his kimbap, claiming to be exactly that:  a night demon, a feline incubus, and he offers his new master/plaything a deal:  In return for Minseok's sexual energy, he will use his unique talents to help Minseok become the best investigator in the world.





	1. Cat-astrophe Strikes

**Author's Note:**

> _Author's note:  Efforts have been made to keep law enforcement details Korean-flavored (in particular, guns are very rare and not routinely carried by officers), but many liberties have been taken with the Seoul police department and police procedures in general.  There will also inevitably be inaccuracies regarding Korea and Korean culture._
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> _All demonology and religious information is borrowed or modified from pop culture or fantasy sources, and there is no "real" demonology or religion described in this story aside from vague generic Catholicism.  No disrespect is intended._
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> _This story will contain non-graphic descriptions of crimes and crime scenes and extremely graphic depictions of hot kinky demon sex.  The story as a whole is rated M but **individual chapters will not be tagged.** Adult language is used throughout._
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> _And lastly, some members of Exo may be portrayed unflatteringly and/or end up as crime victims.  This is not done out of malice, but just to make things interesting and explore new ways of characterizing our boys.  The author is sorry in advance for murdering your fave and/or making him a douchebag, but not sorry enough not to do it--perhaps a demon cat is to blame._
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> ****  
> _TLDR:  This story is about Chen the shapeshifting demon being an asshole cat and an insatiable sex maniac and occasionally being useful to crime-solving badass Chief Inspector Minseok outside of the bedroom.  Trigger warnings: violence, kinky sex, terrible cat puns._  
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It's raining, of course.  It always seems to be raining when Chief Inspector Kim Minseok is called from his bed to some ghastly scene.  One of the benefits of  _being_  the Chief Inspector is that he isn't required to personally attend to every single garden-variety crime that blemishes the great city of Seoul--he has an army of competent underlings for that.  But he still gets summoned for all of the weird shit that his competent underlings can't handle by themselves, and all of the weird shit happens smack in the middle of dark and stormy nights.  It's tradition, apparently.

This dark and stormy night has Minseok visiting the rooftop penthouse of a spoiled rich boy to investigate said rich boy's violent death under horror-movie circumstances--definitely weird shit.  Unfazed by the pouring rain but wishing he'd finished with the current batch of case reports much earlier than one a.m., Minseok pulls his unmarked car into the valet-parking loop of the exclusive steel and glass building.  He rolls his wide feline eyes as he exits the vehicle to a dramatic flash of lightning, slamming the bulletproof door just as the accompanying thunder strikes.

He flashes his badge at the doorman who seems to be expecting him, declining the man's servile offer to take his coat.  He's escorted through the lobby and put into an elevator, but the doorman only slots an access card into the control panel, presses the penthouse button, and then hastens back out of the car as if it were on fire.  Minseok has a moment of pity for the anxious-looking man.  Korea, for all its modern conveniences, is still a city steeped in superstition, and having an occult-style slaying right out of the cheesiest western B-movie happen in the building is enough to make a lot of folks attempt to change their employment.

The mirrored elevator walls reflect the Chief Inspector's weather-mussed appearance, and he removes his navy blue cap and attempts to coax his jet-black pompadour back into some semblance of order.  He fusses for a moment, but when the elevator slows as it approaches his destination, he just stuffs the unruly strands back under the cap, full lips curling with disgust.  Why can't weird shit happen on a lovely calm afternoon, instead of three fucking a.m. in the middle of a thunderstorm?  His internal grumbling is interrupted when the elevator doors slide open with a pleasant chime to reveal a scene that is anything but.

The luxury penthouse is in shambles.  Shreds of carpet, splinters of hardwood, and shards of tile litter every surface as if ripped from the floor by giant claws, and furniture is casually flung around as if by an unhappy toddler.  Jagged holes are punched through the drywall and even the plaster ceiling, wall decor is mangled, and what probably used to be a lovely aquarium is now a cracked container of cloudy fish soup leaking foul broth all over the debris-cluttered floor.

Astonishingly, some of the heavier furniture has been thrown through the full-length plate glass windows, leaving the penthouse open to the elements.  Not only is the glass between the penthouse and the rooftop garden shattered, but several of the ten-centimeter-thick glass panes that separate the penthouse occupants from a thirty-story plunge have also been breached.

Minseok lifts one angled brow.  Whatever happened here is not the work of drunken frat boys.  At least, not without some heavy equipment, none of which is currently apparent.

What _is_ apparent is the scowl on Senior Detective Do's face as he navigates the wreckage toward Minseok.  "Nice of you to join us, Chief," the compact man greets, words brusque as always, though his bow is polite.

"Detective," Minseok acknowledges, returning the bow.  "What in hell happened here?"  He digs out his LED torch, scanning the destruction with it as his favorite colleague approaches.

"Oh, just the usual: Shit went down, somebody died."  The detective's round eyes meet Minseok's from under heavy brows.

"Those keen observation skills are what keep getting you promoted."

"Those, and my willingness to show up at horrific scenes at ungodly hours of the night," Detective Do grumbles, re-settling his cap over his close-cropped black hair.

"I do appreciate the sacrifice of your social life," Minseok says, managing to hold a straight face until the shorter man snorts, plump lips quirking into the hint of a smile.

"You know you're my most frequent date," the detective reminds his boss.

Minseok favors him with a full smile.  "And you always take me to the nicest places."

Detective Do's smile blossoms into a heart-shaped grin.  "Only the best for you, Boss.  Body's this way." 

The detective gestures with his own torch, and the two men pick their way across the open-concept floorplan until they end up in what must have been the sleeping area.  Tilted and broken bookcases have been torn off the walls, and the contents of the shelves are rapidly becoming sodden in the deluge blowing in through the blown-out windows.  A few strips of gauzy fabric still dangle from the exposed ceiling joists over what used to be a king-sized bed before the frame was smashed and the mattress was ripped clean in half.  The remaining planks of hardwood beneath the destruction seem to be inscribed with some sort of design, distorted by the violence and washed away by the weather.

A motionless figure lies crumpled in the center of the former bed, tangled in the shredded bedclothes.  The body appears to be nude beneath the sheets, and the rictus grin is being manipulated by gloved hands as the coroner attempts to peer into the victim's mouth.  The man has drawn his thick lower lip between his teeth in concentration, an act that still somehow dimples his right cheek as he shines a penlight into the oral cavity.

Sleepy eyes land on the two men making their way towards him, and his lips spread into a soft smile as he shakes tousled black hair out of his eyes as he stands up to greet them with a bow.  He's wearing black priestly robes rather than the white medical coat worn by most of the doctors the city employs to determine cause and time of death, and they look odd with the pale blue protective booties and periwinkle forensic gloves.

"Father Zhang," Minseok greets, bowing before grabbing his own pair of gloves from the forensic cart parked beside the body.  "What can you tell us?"

"Not much, I'm afraid, Chief Inspector," the coroner admits, eyes apologetic.  "He's dead, and he's been that way for about an hour, if my observations are correct."

"I'm sure they are," Minseok affirms.  "Any idea as to why?"

"Not a one.  Well, I mean, his heart stopped, obviously.  But he appears to have been healthy and fit, there are no obvious wounds or medical conditions, and nothing at the scene suggests any reason for his current condition."

"Lovely," Minseok sighs.  "I hope you can tell us more after the autopsy.  Do we at least have an ID?"

"He appears to be Kim Junmyeon, age 26, owner of the penthouse," Detective Do supplies.  "Typical rich playboy, except he's rich because of a settlement he received when his parents were killed by a drunk driver who happened to be the only son of the Chinese ambassador.  The building attendants said he was solitary and bitter and arrogant and very difficult to work with, expecting to be able to throw money at any inconvenience to make it go away."

Minseok crouches closer to the body.  The face is twisted into a scream, eyes bulging from sockets, mouth wide.  His hair is long and highlighted, and the sheets he's tangled in reek of sex despite the wind the storm is flinging through the broken windows.  "Known associates?" he asks the detective.

"Oddly enough, the ambassador's son."  

Minseok's large eyes become even wider at this news.  "The one who killed his parents?"

"The very one."  The detective's grin is sardonic.

"He has an alibi, I presume?"

"Of course.  And even if he didn't, he has diplomatic immunity.  He didn't  _have_  to settle for the car accident, either, but the honorable family didn't want to be torn apart by the press.  Most of the money was to keep Junmyeon quiet, per the settlement agreement."

Minseok stands up, resisting the urge to run his gloved (and soiled) fingers through the hair beneath his cap.  "Any theories on how exactly a mattress can be ripped in half, not to mention breaking the industrial glass, ripping up the floor, or any of the rest of this?"

"None that don't involve aliens or urban legends.  There are no implements of large-scale destruction in the penthouse at all--not even something like a machete or a sledgehammer.  The building has video surveillance, and nobody has entered or left this floor since our boy got home around dinnertime yesterday."

"Alone?"

"Alone."

"And no one else lived here?"

"Not that is listed on the lease, anyway."

"Then who was he fucking?  Er--sorry, Father.  Who was he, uh, engaging in coitus with?"  Minseok always feels like a naughty schoolboy when he slips and curses in front of the coroner, even though he's a year older than the man.

Father Zhang just smiles, ignoring Minseok's coarse language.  "Himself, apparently.  And repeatedly, judging by what the black light revealed.  Or he just didn't like to change the sheets."

Minseok shudders.  "No video surveillance inside the penthouse, I suppose?"

"Of course not.  That would be too easy," Detective Do chides.

"So how did the building security know there was a problem?  The windows?"

The detective nods.  "Lightning struck the building shortly after three, blowing out the power.  The backup generators kicked in a few minutes later for the lobby and the elevators, but the units are all still without power.  A cab driver reported glass and debris in the street outside, prompting building security to go out and look, and they discovered that some windows were blown out on this floor.  Mr. Kim didn't answer his phone, so they came up to check, and found this."

"Is it likely the windows were blown out by the lightning itself?"

Detective Do shrugs.  "The boffins are running scenarios."

"Is it possible the rest of the destruction happened prior to tonight?"

"Unlikely.  The ambassador's son--one Wu Yifan--stated that he'd visited a week ago and everything was fine then.  Security confirms he was here last weekend."

"So we have a lightning strike, a demolished penthouse, and a dead guy.  Could he have been electrocuted, Father?"

"Possibly.  He shows no signs of electrical burns on the outside, but they don't always show up.  An autopsy might reveal more, but it's possible for there to be no physical signs."

"Could electricity do all this other damage?"  Minseok bounces his flashlight around.

Detective Do shrugs again.  "Boffins," he states, and Minseok nods once.

"Lightning would be the easy answer, which means it's definitely not the culprit,"  Minseok decides.  "Collect samples of everything.  This is likely to go high profile, so let's not fu--er, screw anything up."

Detective Do salutes with a smirk, moving off through the scene with his sample kit, jauntily whistling an American R&B tune as he does so.  Minseok snags a digital camera off the forensic cart, photographing anything and everything that might possibly become important in any way.  He spirals outward slowly from the body, cringing as he illuminates the fouled sheets with the black light that reveals the victim's habits.  He skips the body itself, trusting the doctor-priest to be as thorough in his documentation as usual, and turns his attention to the destroyed bed, documenting the rent mattress and shattered frame. 

Next, he captures the odd floor decorations, trying to find as many pieces of the grayish-white curves on the debris as he possibly can.  It's probably just some new-age decorative scrollwork, but it might give the boffins an amusing diversion to have a jigsaw puzzle to solve.  He grins, imagining the angry e-mails the disgruntled workers were sure to send him about wasting their time, but this case is strange enough that he'd rather leave no stone--or fragment of hardwood--unturned.  

He has to resist his organizational urges as he approaches the overturned bookshelves, forcing himself merely to photograph the books instead of sort and alphabetize them.  He documents the position of each destroyed unit before lifting it--he might be privileged to sleep through the night (usually), but he still puts his time in at the gym.  He refuses to turn into the stereotypical pudgy desk jockey.

He busies himself photographing and setting shelves aside to photograph what's beneath them, humming along with his detective when the man happens across a tune Minseok is familiar with.  Their combined musical interludes aren't loud, but added to the sound of the ongoing storm, it's still enough to obscure the noises already muffled by the overturned case in the far corner until Minseok is about to lift it.

Yet hear it he does, faint and pitiful.  "Hush a moment, Kyungsoo!" Minseok calls to his detective, who pauses his rendition of "Billionaire" at his boss's request. 

Minseok leans closer to the shelf, waiting for the noise to repeat.  It does, and Minseok lets the tension out of his shoulders as he recognizes the sound.

He turns to face his subordinate, who is watching him with strong eyebrows raised questioningly.  "Did the victim own a cat?"

"Not according to the building security.  Pets aren't permitted without documentation--rabies vaccines, that sort of thing, for public health."

"Well, there's a cat under this shelf.  Bring me one of those cardboard evidence boxes, Father, if you would."

"You can't collect a cat as evidence!"  The holy doctor's voice is appalled.

Minseok smiles at his indignation.  "Of course not, Father, but we can't just leave it here.  And I don't want it to panic and end up out a window or something when I lift the shelf.  If we set a box on its side, maybe it will run in there."

"Oh, the poor thing!" Father Zhang coos as he approaches with one of the file boxes used to cart collected evidence back to the lab.  "What if it's hurt?"

"Then we'll take it to a vet," Minseok assures the sensitive man as he works his fingers under the edge of the shelf.  "Ready?"

The doctor-priest nods, so Minseok heaves the shelf back up against the wall, blocking one of the broken windows as he does.  An unhappy whine is the rescuers' reward as a small black feline is exposed to the unpleasant environment of the sodden penthouse.

"Oh, it's so cute--just a tiny thing!"  Father Zhang exclaims, holding the box at the ready, but the cat doesn't move. 

It just hunkers pathetically amid scattered books, coal-black fur puffed up in a futile attempt to appear bigger than the three or four kilograms it probably is.  Another long, high-pitched whine emerges from between pointed white teeth, accompanied by a glare from dark copper eyes.

"Yes, yes, you're absolutely terrifying," Minseok assures the wretched creature.  "But wouldn't you rather be terrifying somewhere warm and quiet?"

"If it answers you, I'm clubbing it," Detective Do warns, but his glare is softer than usual as he looks over the bedraggled feline, chuckling softly as the creature hisses in response to the new voice.

Minseok shrugs out of his jacket with a sigh.  "It probably is hurt if it's not trying to run," he says, drawing a concerned whimper from the doctor-priest as he tosses the spread garment over the little cat, earning an indignant yowl.

"Sorry, little thing, but I'd rather not bleed for the sake of your dignity," Minseok says, attempting a soothing tone as he scoops the protesting bundle into his arms before depositing it in the evidence box, coat and all.  An elegant head frees itself from the folds of fabric to complain at such treatment, pink mouth opening wide beneath strong cheekbones just as Dr. Zhang places the lid over the box.

"There's a twenty-four hour vet clinic on my way home," Minseok states, carrying the protesting box toward the elevator.  "I'll call the rookie out of bed to give the two of you a hand."

Detective Do groans.  "Not that noodle!  He has no idea what he's doing," he complains.

"I know--that's why I want him to work with my very best detective so he can learn to do this job just as perfectly," Minseok says sweetly, earning himself a glare.  "And I'll tell him to bring you both coffee like a good rookie," he adds, mollifying the detective.

"Just green tea for me, please and thank you," Father Zhang calls, resuming his examination of the body.  "I should have this poor fellow ready for transport in another hour, if you want to alert the morgue," he adds as the elevator dings behind Minseok.

"I'll let them know," Minseok promises as he steps through the sliding doors.  "Call me if anything else needs my attention."

"You got it, Chief," Detective Do acknowledges, mood apparently much improved by the promise of coffee.

 

The cat yowls as the elevator descends, impressing Minseok with how much noise could continuously emerge from such a tiny animal.  "There there, little one.  You'll feel better soon," Minseok soothes, but the yowling just increases as he approaches the security desk and the increasingly-alarmed-looking attendant.

"Does anyone in the building have a black cat licensed?" Minseok asks the shaking man. 

He clicks away at the computer in front of him, then shakes his head, eyes flicking to the noisy box in alarm.

"Thanks for checking--another detective will be by shortly.  Can I have him bring you a cup of something warm?"  Minseok offers, but the man just shakes his head.

"Okay then.  Thank you for your hard work."

Minseok bows as he pushes the door open with his back, shielding the box as much as possible from the downpour as he wrestles it into the front seat of the company car.  He straps it in place with the seatbelt, keeping the lid of the box securely fastened--wouldn't want his irate little passenger to cause any mischief on the road.

He radios the station as he drives, instructing them to send Junior Detective Oh out to the scene with additional forensic supplies and hot drinks for his superiors.  He adds a hot cocoa for the security attendant--he'd seen a chocolate bar wrapper in the man's garbage can, and the man's night had been an ordeal.  If he declined it again, Detective Oh would probably drink it, along with whatever he brought for himself.

The vet clinic's neon sign informs him that they are indeed open all night, animated dog and cat faces smiling happily at him as he unloads his complaining cargo and carries it inside.  The receptionist, a pretty blonde, asks for his personal information, and after some hesitation, Minseok gives her the information of the police department.  He's not sure who the cat belongs to, or if it's part of the case, but he figures it's better to have an official trail--besides, then the department can be billed for the visit.  Once the cat is healthy and the case is solved, it might be able to be adopted out to someone, if they haven't found its owner by then.

The receptionist smiles.  "We've treated police dogs before, but never a police cat!  What's our patient's name?"

Minseok bites his lip.  "Uh, I don't know."  

"Haven't decided yet, huh?  Well, we can fill that in later.  Is it a male or a female?"

"Uh... I don't actually know that, either," Minseok admits.  "It's a stray, I think--I'm concerned it might be injured so I didn't look too closely in case it was in pain."

"I see," the receptionist smiles at him, typing information into the computer system.  "Well, Dr. Kim will certainly be able to fill in some of these blanks during the exam.  If you'll just have a seat, he should be with you shortly."

Minseok sits, box still protesting at his side, and looks around at all the various informational posters.  "You're so loud," Minseok informs the box's occupant.  "Maybe that means you're a tomcat?  This poster says that tomcats are prone to becoming strays because they're on the prowl for lady cats, and that if they're not neutered, they might yowl all the time," he reads idly, hoping his voice might calm the frightened beast.

The box falls silent.

Alarmed, Minseok lifts one corner of the lid, ready to fend off an irate paw-swipe, but the little cat is just huddled in the corner beneath Minseok's rumpled jacket, one blood-orange eye peering back at him.

"Chief Inspector and friend?"  Minseok looks up to see a tall, sweet-faced man smiling down at them.  He looks rather young to be a vet, but his eyes are friendly and soft and he's wearing a white coat and has a stethoscope draped around his neck.

Minseok closes the box lid before standing up with his burden.  "I'm not so sure we're friends--we found the poor thing at a scene in the middle of this storm, and it's been yelling at me ever since," he informs the chestnut-haired man.

"Ah, yes, I did hear some complaining from the lobby earlier.  I'm Dr. Kim Jongin, and we'll get the little guy or girl fixed right up," he promises.  "If you'll step into my exam room, we can take a look."

Minseok follows the man through a door, placing the box on a stainless-steel table.  Dr. Kim chuckles at the lettering on the side of the box before removing the lid.

"Are you evidence, little kitty?  Are you gonna solve a crime for the nice Chief Investigator?"

The cat only glowers at them from beneath the coat, eerily silent after all the previous yowling.

Minseok smiles at how angry the little thing is.  "We found it under a knocked-over bookshelf, and it didn't try to escape once the shelf was moved.  I'm worried that it's injured," he volunteers, watching in amazement as Dr. Kim fearlessly moves the coat aside and lifts the cat from the box to place on the table.

The doctor wrinkles his nose a bit as he does so.  "Sorry, Chief--Our little friend seems to have peed on your jacket."

Minseok scowls down at the animal trying to flatten itself into the table.  "What did you do that for?" he asks.  "So rude, when I rescued you and everything!"

Dr. Kim laughs.  "A lot of cats do that when they're scared, and quite a few empty their bowels, too."

"Well, thanks for small favors, I guess," Minseok frowns at the cat, who glares right back up at him even as it does its best to disappear.

Dr. Kim's assistant arrives with a scale, and Minseok feels a little smug when the cat weighs three and a half kilograms, just as he'd guessed.  Then the assistant holds the cat firmly by the scruff of the neck, making the cat's body stiffen as it protests weakly.  Patient thus immobilized, Dr. Kim lifts the beast's tail, pronouncing it a tomcat--correct deduction number two for the pleased investigator--before inserting a thermometer, provoking an offended wail.

Minseok grins at the poor thing's indignity.  "This is what happens when you pee on people's stuff," he soberly informs the cat who seems to be attempting to set him on fire with its gaze.

With his assistant's help, the rest of the exam proceeds smoothly, Dr. Kim eventually declaring Minseok to be in possession of a healthy young adult tomcat, who immediately squirms out of the assistant's grip, hops down from the exam table, stalks over to the corner, and proceeds to groom itself while glaring at all three of them, hissing if anyone so much as looks in its direction.

Minseok is more relieved than he probably should be.  The cat isn't his, and in fact, seems to hate him.  But as a healthy young tomcat on the smaller side of average himself, he can't help but admire the little thing's courage, so he's glad that it isn't injured.  Now he just has to figure out where it came from, and what to do with it now. 

As if reading his mind, Dr. Kim turns away from his digital notes to smile at Minseok.  "So, Chief:  What's the verdict for our grumpy piece of evidence?  Do you plan to take him home, or would you rather board him here until the department has everything sorted out?"

Minseok's face lights up.  "Oh, could you board him for us?  I'm not at all set up for a cat, and I don't think he likes me, anyway.  He'd probably be happier here--"

But Minseok's words are cut off as the little feline pads over to the door, stretching on its hind legs to paw at the handle, mrowing plaintively.  It turns its intense red ocher eyes onto the inspector, meowing again, before it slinks over to weave figure-eights around Minseok's legs, making little mewls all the while.

"Aww," the assistant coos.  "Look at what a sweet little kitty he is!  You don't want to be left here, do you?  You want to go home with the handsome Chief Inspector, of course--I don't blame you!"  She winks at Minseok, who tries not to scowl at her.  The last thing he needs is an angry tomcat in his home, marking its territory everywhere.

Instead, he scowls at the cat.  "You already peed on my coat--why do you think I'm dumb enough to give you access to the rest of my stuff?"

The cat sits on its haunches, looking at Minseok with those nearly-glowing eyes, stretching one gentle paw up to rest on the inspector's knee as it tilts its head to the side.

Dr. Kim laughs as his assistant melts into muffled squeals.  "Charismatic little thing," he comments.  "It's almost like he knows what we're talking about.  It's up to you, of course, but if you give in to those pleading eyes, we do have things like food and litter boxes to get you set up for the night, and a shopping list of things to pick up over the next few days to make him comfortable."

Now the cat has risen all the way up on its hind legs, balancing against the paw on Minseok's knee and pawing the air gently with the other, making tiny little kittenish mews.  Minseok suppresses a frown.  He wants citizens to think of the law enforcement department as kind and caring, so he feels as though he can hardly hand the beast coldly over to the care of the clinic when Dr. Kim is making it seem so easy to care for the creature at home.  Maybe he can shut it in his bathroom or something, so it can't ruin his carpets.

"Fine--get me whatever a cat needs for forty-eight hours or so.  Hopefully we'll have the situation sorted out by then."

The assistant cheers and steps out of the room to gather some supplies, and Dr. Kim makes a few more notes in his computer.  As if it knows it's won, the cat strolls back over to its corner, tail high enough in the air to give Minseok a good look at its tiny pink asshole as it goes.  It reclines regally against the wall, curving a paw towards its mouth and nibbling on a toenail as it locks eyes with Minseok.

Minseok narrows his eyes.  If it weren't just a dumb animal, he'd swear it looked downright smug.  "I'm watching you," he warns it, just as the assistant returns, arms piled high.

"Here we are:  Everything our little prince needs for his stay with the handsome Chief Inspector," she sings.  

As if summoned by the royal moniker, the cat hops up and trots over to the young woman, jumping lightly onto the table as if to inspect what she's brought.

"Here's a proper carrying kennel with a fresh blankie inside so you don't have to ride home in a box on that soiled coat," she coos as the cat pokes its gracile nose through the unlatched door.  Apparently satisfied, it lets out a little chirp as it butts its head against the assistant's hip.  "I'm so glad you like it!" she giggles.  "And here we have a nice cozy bed for you to curl up in, and a fancy embossed food dish along with a variety pack of the finest moist food.  There's also a litter box and litter, of course, and I added a handful of kitty toys to keep you amused."

The cat butts against her again, then stands up with one paw on her arm.  She coos and scoops up the feline, cradling it like a baby and rubbing its chest.  The cat's purr is so loud Minseok can hear it from the other side of the exam room.  Minseok presses his lips together, trying not to feel as though he's being played by a less-than-four-kilogram bit of fur.  It can't be that strange for a cat to go from frozen with fear, to furious, to cuddling in someone's arms so quickly, right?  Maybe it's just used to ladies?  Or maybe it just hated being in a wet, cold place, and then in a moving vehicle.  It's probably all completely rational, and Minseok almost relaxes--until the sleek black head lolls to the side, meets Minseok's eyes, and then winks at him.  

Minseok's mouth falls open, but the cat has its adoring face turned back to the besotted assistant, so Minseok isn't entirely sure that he didn't imagine it.  Or maybe it just had a bit of dust in its eye or something.  Or maybe Minseok just needs to go back to bed and sleep for another hour or so before getting back to the case.

Dr. Kim announces that he's entered everything into the computer and Minseok can check out at the front desk whenever he's ready, so the assistant opens the kennel door once more, and Minseok is astonished when the little cat winks at him again before trotting docilely into the enclosure.  The assistant hands the carrier to Minseok, and he doesn't miss how the cat's purring stops as soon as its shelter is in Minseok's hands.  Minseok gazes down through the latticed top, and the cat lifts those deep copper eyes to meet its caretaker's gaze, lifting a paw to its face and beginning to wash the appendage with a raspy pink tongue without breaking eye contact with the inspector.

Giving up on making sense of the animal's odd behavior (is it actually odd, or is he just not used to cats?), Minseok thanks the doctor with a bow and makes his way to the front desk, pressing the unlock button on the keyfob so the assistant can load the rest of the cat gear into the trunk of the car.  He keeps an eye on her through the clinic window as the receptionist prepares the invoice, wincing at the total before handing over his official card.  He doesn't relish explaining this particular expense to Accounting.

"You're more expensive per kilogram than Hanwoo," he informs the little beast, who hisses up at him before continuing to wash its tiny little paws.

"Aw, don't hurt his little feelings," admonishes the receptionist.  "It's not his fault he's homeless." 

The cat lets out a meow that sounds suspiciously like, "Yeah!"  The receptionist giggles, and Minseok tries not to glare at the creature.

"Have you picked out something to call him?" the receptionist asks as they wait for the card to be authorized.

"He's not mine--I'll probably only have him for a few days," Minseok states.  

"Oh, but you should give him a nickname or something.  You already talk to him--you should have something proper to call him."

The cat meows up at him again, and once again Minseok feels as though he's being manipulated.  Petty from being called out of bed only to have his uniform peed on by a queer little cat, Minseok glowers down at his charge.  "Fine then--how about 'Lucifer?'"

The cat hisses, showing off gleaming white fangs, and the receptionist laughs.  "Got off on the wrong foot, huh?  Well, so did the Lucifer from the Bible--he used to be an angel, you know.  Maybe your kitty is an angel in disguise, too."

"I seriously doubt that," Minseok says, but he tries to smile at the young woman.

She smiles back.  "The name 'Lucifer' literally means 'morning star,' and in my mother's language, the word for dawn is 'Chen.'  Maybe if you call him that instead, he won't fall from grace like the other Lucifer."

Now Minseok's smile is genuine.  "Ah, my colleague will like that.  He's Chinese as well, and a holy man, and he helped me rescue our little Chen."  He glances down at the inky feline, paused mid-lick of its toe, eyes rolled up to stare at him.  "There, little thing--you have a name now.  Are you happy?"

The cat drops its gaze and nibbles at its toenail, one side of its nose curling up as it does so, giving it a rather disgusted look.

Minseok laughs again.  "I'm not sure he's best pleased, but he hasn't suggested an alternative, so he's stuck with it."

The cat's nibbling sounds vaguely like muttering as Minseok signs away city funds and gathers his paperwork.  "Thanks for your help," he bows to the receptionist and the assistant, then loads his funny little charge into the car.

The cat remains silent on the way home, allowing Minseok to radio in to the scene and check on progress.  Detective Do--sounding much peppier now that he's been properly caffeinated--reports that they're making slow but steady progress and that Father Zhang is packing the body for transport to the morgue.  

"Thank him for his help with the cat," Minseok asks.  "And tell him it turned out to be just fine."

"That's good, I guess.  What are you going to do with it?"

"The vet's assistant guilted me into taking it home," Minseok sighs.  "I'm already mourning my carpet."

The detective's musical laugh rolls down the line.  "Better you than me--Meokmul would be less than pleased if I brought a filthy feline home."

A hiss emanates from the carrier.  Minseok curls his lip in response, even though neither the cat or the detective can see his face.  "Yeah, well.  If  _I_  turn up mysteriously dead in the middle of my apartment, the cat definitely did it."

Another laugh.  "I'll be sure to let Forensics know," the detective assures him.  "Are you coming back to help?"  His voice sounds hopeful.

"Eventually--I'm going to grab a few more hours of sleep first, though, if I can.  I don't do sleep deprivation as well as I used to," he adds wryly.

"Must be hell, getting old," Detective Do observes, laughing when Minseok growls.  "Bring us poor peons more coffee when you come back, please, Boss?"

"From the really good cafe," Minseok promises his favorite detective, earning a cheer before the younger man signs off.

 

The cat may have dozed off during the car ride, because when Minseok opens the car door to retrieve the carrier (after first unloading all of the beast's sundry accoutrements and his poor soiled jacket onto one of the building-provided luggage carts), the cat lets out an indignant yowl as it's once again subjected to wind and rain.  Rolling his eyes, Minseok adds the carrier to the top of the cart and rolls the whole noisy load through the automatic doors and into the first available elevator, bowing at the doorman but waving off the man's assistance.

The cat sings the angry song of its people all the way up the elevator, down the hall, and into Minseok's apartment, and by the time Minseok has his coat in the wash and the cat's things set up in the half-bath he's about done.

"Listen, you mouthy little thing.  I need to sleep for a while, and you are being obnoxious.  If you don't shut up, I'm going to leave you in your carrier on the patio so I can get some proper rest."

The cat falls silent, and at this point, Minseok isn't even surprised.

"Thank you," he huffs.  He crouches down so he can see into the top of the kennel, locking his dark chocolate gaze with the cat's deep caramel stare.  "If I let you out of there, are you going to be a little hellion?"

The cat just blinks at him.

"I'm not letting you out unless you promise not to pee anywhere you shouldn't," Minseok presses, giggling a little at his sleep deprivation making this seem like a reasonable thing to demand of a cat.

The cat lifts its right paw up, exposing dusky pink pads.

Minseok snorts at his own ridiculousness.  "I guess you're kind of cute, little Chen."  He picks up the carrier, heading toward the half-bath that has become temporary kitty headquarters.  "How did you even get in that penthouse, hmm?"

Chen meows, long and undulating.

"Oh, well, that sure explains it," Minseok plays along.  "You should have told me sooner--then maybe you wouldn't have gotten a cold thermometer up your tiny pink butt."

Chen hisses, and Minseok's giddy laugh bubbles forth.  "Sorry, that was rude, I admit.  Here, little Chen:  The finest feline suite we have.  Note the location of your litter box and your food dish, and try not to confuse the two."

Chen hisses again, sulking in the back of the carrier even after Minseok has unlatched it, making it easy for the Chief Inspector to incarcerate his furry little ward by shutting the bathroom door behind himself as he exits.

Exhaustion catching up with him, Minseok stumbles down the hallway, collapsing into bed after ensuring his alarm was set for the usual hour.  Sure, it wasn't that far away, but a few hours of sleep and a few cups of coffee would be enough to get him through the next day.  He's unconscious almost as soon as his head hits the pillow.

 

The alarm goes off after what feels like five minutes later, and Minseok starts his day for the second time with several choice curse words that he hopes Father Zhang never hears about.  He washes up in the en-suite, then remembers that his other bathroom is occupied, so he hurries to pull on his uniform so he can check on his furry little foundling.  He sighs when he realizes his coat is still in the wash, grabbing his spare (a little tight through the shoulders since he'd been working out) and buckling his utility belt around his waist before heading off to see how exactly Chen has destroyed his bathroom.

A sense of foreboding fills him as he pads down the hallway toward the half-bath.  His apartment is silent--suspiciously so, considering how mouthy little Chen has turned out to be.  Minseok groans when he sees the bathroom door gaping open--his poor, poor carpets!  And the little guy is so tiny--he could be practically anywhere.

But all thoughts of the missing feline bounce right out of his head as he enters his living room and registers a figure draped over his sofa.  His service baton is in his hand and his body is relaxing into a ready stance automatically as soon as his brain perceives the intruder, but the figure on his sofa just favors him with a smug recurved smile.

"Who the fuck are you and why are you in my flat?" Minseok demands, taking in the fact that the occupier of his couch is nude, male, and built lean and toned in just the sort of way a non-threatened Minseok would find rather attractive.  

The serifed lips separate around a giggle as the intruder takes a bite of a half-eaten roll of kimbap.  The man's hair is jet black and unruly over a face that's angular and fierce, dominated by sharp cheekbones, strong, upturned brows, and the darkest, most intense eyes Minseok has ever seen that nonetheless manage to sparkle with obvious amusement at Minseok's concern.

"I'm hurt, Chief Inspector," the man practically purrs, voice low and rolling in an echo of the ongoing thunder outside.  "Don't you recognize your own familiar?"


	2. Purr-pet-traitor

"I'm not familiar with you," Minseok states, calmly reaching for the handcuffs on his belt while keeping his eyes fixed on the nude figure on his sofa.

He notices black triangular ears poking up from the man's messy black hair but wouldn't normally bat an eye in an accessory-happy city like Seoul, even if Minseok usually sees cat-ear headbands on sweet-faced, modestly-dressed young women, not smirking, naked young men.  The cat ears on their own aren't worth a second look--unlike the sleek black tail slipping from beneath the man's thigh to lazily twitch against the sofa, moving in a way that is eerily life-like.

"Oh, but you _will_ be."  Those onyx eyes promise sin as recurved lips draw up into a smirk.  "Lucky for you, Junmyeon never completed the binding ritual, so all this--"  He runs one hand down his nicely-toned body from chest to thigh.  "--is all yours."  He bounces his straight dark eyebrows suggestively.

The intruder takes another bite of the kimbap Minseok strongly suspects was pilfered from his fridge, speaking messily around his mouthful.  "Unluckily for you, he also never fed me properly, so unless you want the binding to get really awkward for both of us, name your price and feed me while I'm still nice and sexy for you."  He tilts his head back so he's looking at Minseok through long dark lashes, pink tongue capturing stray rice from the corner of the man's upturned mouth.

Minseok holds his baton at the ready as he cautiously moves closer to the intruder.  "You're already eating my kimbap," he points out, raising his own brow.  "It's a little late to be asking me to feed you."

The intruder's serifed lips twist and the pointed black ears actually flatten, getting lost among tousled midnight strands.  "Human food is at least a little better than the disgusting cat food you left me with, but it's hardly a proper meal.  But _you_."  The man's voice drops into a rumble.  "You're so fucking sexy with all your swagger and that perfect, pretty face--you'll be so fucking yummy." 

Eyes like ebony lasers sweep Minseok's body while that uncanny tail sweeps against the intruders's toned legs.  "Come on, Chief Inspector.  I was nice and quiet so you could rest, even though I'm absolutely famished.  Do us both a favor now:  Tell me your heart's desire before these good looks start to fade."  Those sinful lips melt into a pout, magnetic eyes widen, and one of the cat ears perks up a little in mute appeal.

Minseok frowns.  The closer the Chief Inspector gets, the more realistic the man's accessories seem, and it's starting to send a prickle up the nape of his neck.  He knows he lives in one of the most technologically-advanced countries in the world, but this level of animatronics in a juvenile fashion accessory seems a bit much.  Yet the alternative is that this person actually has feline ears growing out of the top of his head, and that's pushing belief as well.

Whatever's going on with the intruder's eerily-mobile feline accoutrements, Minseok's instincts are screaming at him to be extremely cautious.  Sure, the intruder has been babbling without making a whole lot of sense, and coupled with the naked catboy routine, Minseok would have him firmly pegged in the drugs-or-mental-health-issues category--if he'd met the man on the street.  But this strange man has somehow gained access to an apartment on the ninth floor of one of the most secure buildings in Seoul.  He would have had to either bypass the security staff, card-locked elevators, and a keycode/fingerprint lock to enter Minseok's front door, or somehow gain roof access, rappel down the wall, and come in through a window, and there are no obvious signs he's done either. 

Whoever this is, and however he got in here, he's obviously not to be underestimated, especially since he's mentioned a 'Junmyeon.'  If it's the same Junmyeon from the penthouse--another secure building with no obvious signs of intrusion--Minseok needs to be especially on his guard.  The man is obviously well-built, but Minseok hits the gym hard himself, and with his specialized police training, he's reasonably confident he can take this man one-on-one.  However, he'd rather manage to detain him for questioning without a wrestling match in his tidy living room--he's already more grateful than usual that the sofa is done in an easy-to-clean faux leather, because he's definitely going to be wiping it down after this strange man has rubbed his bare ass all over it. 

Still, in the absence of a clear and imminent threat to public safety (not private living rooms), protocol dictates he give the guy a chance to do things the easy way.  "Hands behind your back," he commands, light on his toes in case the man decides not to cooperate.

"Ooh, getting kinky already, I see.  I should have guessed, after you put me through the indignity of that vet visit."  The intruder winks at him before lazily rolling over, placing his hands docilely behind his narrow waist and wiggling a shapely ass, smirking over his shoulder.  Minseok cuffs him quickly and securely, ignoring how holding his arms in this position shows off those well-muscled limbs quite nicely, and  _absolutely_  ignoring the throaty moan that snapping the steel around those shapely wrists produces.  Unusual man thus restrained, Minseok allows himself the luxury of examining his prisoner's feline features more closely.

_What the actual fuck._   The man's unruly black hair prevents the Chief Inspector from getting a good look at what's going on there, but his lack of clothing (and playfully protruded ass) are giving Minseok quite the eyeful.  The tail is in constant graceful motion, and seems to be growing directly out of the base of the man's spine.  The tail swishes towards him, and Minseok catches it in a loosely-curled fist.  It's warm and covered with silky black fur and he can feel it flex against his palm as it slithers out of his grasp.

"Are you enjoying manhandling the merchandise, Chief Inspector?"  That long, elegant spine twists to allow the intruder to smirk over one shapely shoulder at Minseok, sleek tail arcing gracefully to expose the man's undercarriage.  "I'll let you pet me all you want once I'm properly fed."

"I've never seen someone with an actual tail before," Minseok admits, definitely not looking further south than the mentioned body part.  "But I apologize for touching you like that.  It was unprofessional of me."  And it would be unprofessional of Minseok to ask him if the ears were real, too, and if he was born like this or if he had them surgically added somehow, so he manages to keep those questions to himself.

"I'm supposed to have wings, too, but Junmyeon was a control freak as well as an entitled ass and both of the queens are still pissed at me, so here we are."  He does a full-body shimmy that makes his tail undulate.  "But if you like what you see, you should hurry up and agree to feed me before this Prince Charming turns back into a pumpkin."

Minseok takes a step back so he won't be tempted to touch the tail (or anything else) and tries to take stock of the situation, wishing that there existed an Ultra Chief Inspector to be called in when the weird shit was too weird even for him.  He immediately hates this imaginary Ultra Chief, because not only is he not there when Minseok needs him, but if he _were_  able to call the mythical person in, he'd be arriving to a scene during daylight hours, and the thunderstorm is even moving off--hell, the sun would probably even come out special for the holy Ultra Chief.

But there is no Ultra Chief Inspector, so Minseok has to deal with his own weird shit.  Naked weird shit, with an actual tail, somehow in his ultra-secure apartment, who seems to have some connection with Junmyeon and who may or may not be crazy.  Yet this seems to be an actual lead in their current weird shit investigation, so Minseok supposes he should be grateful.  He ought to call a squad car to take the man downtown for interrogation, but for some reason, the idea of having him hauled away makes Minseok vaguely uneasy, so he decides to stall for time by asking the perpetrator the basics before calling this in.

Minseok shifts so that the facedown man doesn't have to crane his neck to make eye contact with Minseok (and so Minseok can't easily make eye contact with anything he shouldn't).  "What's your name?" he asks, voice automatically slipping into his well-practiced Friendly And Concerned.

The intruder laughs, loud and obnoxious.  "You should know, Chief Inspector.   _You_  gave it to me, after all."  The slinky tail swishes as Chen arches his back as if to better present his ass to Minseok, who is definitely not noticing how biteable the rounded cheeks could be under other circumstances.  

Minseok's eyebrows lift.  He'd definitely remember meeting a guy with a tail before, but maybe he'd had it hidden in his clothes.  Still, the intruder's face is also arrestingly memorable, with the way his eyes threaten to draw a person in (or maybe set them on fire).  "Are you sure it was me?" Minseok asks, doing his best to keep an eye on his prisoner in general without staring at that lovely ass in specific.

The man scowls.  "Fine, it was the pretty receptionist lady that came up with it, but you were the one to stick it on me and start using it, you pedant.  I'm working so hard to be sexy for you, and you're wasting so much time.  You told me not to pee where I shouldn't, but if you wait too long and the fun option goes away, I'm going to pee everyfuckingwhere just to spite your ass."

Minseok's brows are going to glue themselves to his hairline at this rate.  Everything this guy says just raises more questions, and he seems to be unable or unwilling to ever give a straight answer.  

He also seems to be really impatient. Bold eyebrows quirk up towards the center of his forehead, softening his otherwise sharp features.  "You've got me all cuffed and vulnerable-looking, what else are you waiting for?"

He rolls onto his back, presenting Minseok once again with his nicely-developed chest and choco-abs, now with the addition of a very erect cock, uncut and leaking pre-come against a flexed stomach while that incredible tail flicks between his legs to sweep against muscular thighs.   "Do you want me to beg?  Is that what you're into?  Usually I like to be the one making the human beg, but I'm so hellsdamned hungry I'll indulge any kink if that's what it takes, just hurry up and state your terms!"

Those piercing eyes nail Minseok in place.  "Do you want to be rich?  I'll make you richer than an old white American CEO.  You want fame?  I'll make sure the world screams your name.  You want power?  I'll make millions bow down before you.  I can make your wildest dream come true, just name it and say you'll fucking feed me!"  The intruder rolls his hips, making his ruddy cock bounce against his washboard stomach while that uncanny tail undulates.

Minseok can't help but give the man a rather judging look, despite his increasing suspicion that the enigmatic man is either on drugs or mentally ill.  "Are you trying to bribe me or something?" Minseok asks, unsure why a healthy-looking man is freaking the fuck out about being fed.

"It's a contracted exchange of services,"  The writhing man growls.  "Just fucking pick something, I can't hold this form much longer!" 

Minseok frowns as his prisoner thrashes.  "Well, whatever your game is, it's not going to work on me.  I don't have wild dreams--I just want to solve cases and stop bad guys, which means you picked the wrong flat to break into."  

He flicks his gaze to the kitchen clock, which informs him it's far past time for Minseok to have left the apartment--almost eight a.m.  Detainees are to be offered breakfast between 0700 and 0900 if they're to be held for at least two more hours, and this is just the beginning of this guy's encounter with Seoul's Finest.  "But protocol does permit me to feed you, if you're really that hungry."

The intruder freezes.  His cat ears are perky triangles again, both swiveled toward the Inspector, and his expressive eyebrows are flicked up adorably.  "And you'll feed me?  You want to solve cases and stop bad guys, and you agree to feed me?"

Minseok nods, wondering what he's going to wrap the man in for the trip to the station.  "I'll feed you," he assures the man. 

The tail starts swishing slowly again, but now it seems to be hairless with a spaded tip and the cat ears now seem more like curved black horns.

"So be it!" the intruder shouts, and suddenly Minseok finds his back against the floor as the hungrily-moaning naked man smashes aggressive lips against Minseok's surprised ones.

"Fucking hell, you taste so fucking good!" the intruder whines between attempts to steal Minseok's tonsils with his tongue. 

Minseok thinks he should be alarmed, suspects he should be pushing the man away, but his lips are tingling, his head is increasingly fuzzy, and his cock has never been so hard.  All he can do is moan wantonly as the man on top of him rips his clothes off with suddenly-clawed, no-longer-cuffed hands, sending buttons and buckles and scraps of starched blue fabric flying everywhere.

"What a fucking feast," the intruder breathes, those burning coals raking the Inspector's revealed body, causing Minseok to flex his hard-earned muscles under such an appreciative gaze.  "I wish I had the patience to savor you properly--next time, my little dumpling."

He presses close again, attaching his lips to Minseok's neck right below his left ear.  Minseok whimpers as the stranger abuses his skin with over-sharp teeth and rasping tongue, the stinging pain contrasting sharply with the tickle of the man's fingertips against his ribs.  He considers fighting, but instead he rolls his body upwards, grinding his aching cock against the other man's. 

The intruder purrs at this, lips vibrating against Minseok's neck before he releases his mouthful.  "I'm not the only impatient one, I see.  Since you're finally feeding me so damn well, I'll let you choose:  Do you want me in you or on you, Chief Inspector?"

It's been a painfully-long dry spell for said Chief Inspector, since casual sex is awkward at best when one is a public official.  This man just happily shredded his neck, and he said himself that he's out of patience.  Minseok may not be thinking very clearly at the moment, but there's still no way he's allowing this maniac anywhere near his precious ass. 

"On me," he grunts, still vaguely wondering what the fuck is going on and why he's allowing this, much less encouraging it.

But his thoughts scatter like clouds in the wind once again as his cock is suddenly surrounded with tight heat.  He throws his head back, hands wrapping reflexively around the stranger's narrow hips as Minseok finds himself straddled and engulfed.  The man above him screams gleefully in pain as he forces himself down onto Minseok's rigid cock, and the part of Minseok that would be appalled at failing to prep his partner properly is washed away by the wave of ecstasy sweeping out from the hypersensitive organ.

"Fuck," Minseok gasps, drawing laughter from the Cheshire grin hovering above him.

"Fuck, indeed, my hot little Inspector," the intruder chuckles at him, then rolls his hips firmly, setting a brutal pace.

Minseok arches up into the movement, his own hips pistoning in counterpoint of their own accord as he clutches his partner's pelvis as if letting go would kill him.  He lasts a scant few minutes before he's scrunching his face and shouting his satisfaction.  He's broken all the rules of safe, respectful, responsible sex but the only thing filling Minseok's head is how fucking  _good_  it feels to empty his balls into this beautiful stranger.

The intruder cackles joyfully as Minseok pants and snarls through his release.  "Yes, my steamy little bun--give me all of it!" he crows, intense eyes dissolved into happy crescents.

The man continues to ride relentlessly until Minseok is writhing and wailing with oversensitivity.  Then he slides forward and Minseok can feel his own come dripping out of the stranger's ass onto his heaving abs.  The laughing man cradles the back of Minseok's head with one hand, directing his still-hard cock into the Inspector's panting mouth.

Minseok does his best to breathe through his nose as his skull is invaded, too foggy and blissed out to protest as the intruder thrusts into his mouth.  He even sloppily attempts to curve his tongue against the underside of the man's thick cock, and is rewarded with an extremely-satisfied wail filling his ears as come fills his mouth.  He swallows so he doesn't choke--once, twice, three times before the flow of hot, salty liquid trickles to a halt.

Still giggling, the stranger withdraws his cock from Minseok's mouth and flops down beside him on the carpet, that once-again sleekly furred tail flicking idly against the Chief Inspector's bare thigh.  "Oh, I'm so fucking glad I managed not to kill you," the intruder sighs from below relaxed black feline ears.  "You're fucking _scrumptious_."

 

Minseok just lies there in the ruins of his uniform, covered in his own come, the flavor of the stranger still lingering on his tongue, wispy thoughts swirling around and slowly clumping together like candy floss before tumbling out of his swollen lips.

"What the fuck just happened--Why did you just fuck me?  Why the fuck did I let you?  How did you get out of the handcuffs?  Were those actual claws?  Why do you have cat ears and a tail?"  Minseok tries to sit up, intending to examine the parts in question, but instead of pulling him upright, all his abs do is twitch half-heartedly.  "Why can't I move?  Did you drug me or something?  Are _you_ on drugs?  How did you even get in here in the first place?" 

A raucous laugh erupts beside him.  "You humans are so fucking blind these days.  You're supposed to be the Chief Inspector, but even though I've told you nothing but the truth, you still have no idea who I am."

Minseok's highly-trained auditory memory replays all of the man's unusual statements for clues to his identity, narrowing the focus to things he'd said the Chief Inspector had done.  He'd mentioned Minseok leaving him with cat food, taking him to the vet, naming him, and telling him not to pee on things, and the only time the Chief Inspector had done those things was...

"Chen?"  Minseok winces, cutting his eyes to where the cat-eared man was sprawled.

"Yes?" comes the reply on a giggle that sounds a lot like a purr.

Minseok closes his eyes above a sigh.  This is not how real life works, and yet, this seems to make the most sense.  The intruder never broke in--he was already here.

"Are you... some kind of werecat or something?"  There has to be a scientific explanation for this, right?

"Or something," Chen agrees.

Minseok still has far more questions than he has facts, and yet the most superficial of his concerns is what escapes the maelstrom of his mind to slip between his lips. 

"Does this make me a furry?"

Chen roars with laughter.  "You did seem awfully amused by the thermometer, so I'm not surprised you liked shoving something else up my tiny pink butt."

Minseok manages to flop a boneless arm over his eyes to shut out the world.  "I can't believe I fucked a cat." 

More laughter from Chen as Minseok has a quiet mental breakdown.  He's the Chief Inspector.  He's supposed to be law-abiding and upright, not go around fucking cats.  Not even sinfully-sexy, mostly-people-shaped cats.  Especially not cats that are also evidence--wait, is Chen still evidence, or is he a suspect now?  He knows something about Junmyeon, so Minseok should still send him downtown for processing.  Except that he seems to be able to escape handcuffs, and that sense of discomfort at the idea of sending Chen away feels sharper and more nausea-inducing than ever.

And why was he whining so much about needing to be fed, when Minseok saw him eating?  And why is Chen now happily sprawled on his back, practically purring with contentment, the very picture of the well-fed feline, yet no more food has passed his lips?  

"What--" Minseok begins, but he's interrupted when his phone rings from somewhere off to his left.  Feeling surprisingly drained of energy and vitality, Minseok flops his left hand around until he encounters the vibrating device, pulling it towards him while shaking it free of what used to be his jacket pocket.

Minseok winces when the caller ID reveals the caller is his favorite senior detective, likely wondering where his coffee is.  He swipes and answers with a voice that he hopes doesn't sound as exhausted as he feels.  "Detective."

"Chief.  Did I wake you?"

"No, I'm up, just running late.  I ran into a... complication."  

"The cat?"  The detective's voice is amused.  

"Got it in one," Minseok agrees.  "Are you still at the scene?" he hastens to ask, preferring not to be interrogated about things he's not sure he can explain (and even less sure he wants to).

"Yeah.  We still have a lot of ground to cover, but we've already discovered some interesting things about our victim."

"Oh?"

"Turns out our boy was into some creepy shit--demonology and sex magic and so on.  The bookshelf the cat was under was full of books about summoning and controlling demons and rituals and shit, and those weird arcs on the floor seem to be ornate circular diagrams--a big one around the bed, and a smaller one by the cat's bookshelf.  Maybe when the lightning struck the building, our victim thought he'd finally managed to wank out a spirit or whatever, and scared himself to death."

"It's as good a theory as any until we hear from Father Zhang," Minseok says, trying to sound casual as he narrows his eyes at the wickedly-grinning feline sprawled on the carpet beside him, whose exaggerated innocence is only causing Minseok to glare harder.  "Keep up the good work--I'll be there as soon as I can, and I haven't forgotten about the coffee."

"Best boss ever," Detective Do declares before Minseok ends the call.

The Chief Inspector glares at the smirking creature that has disrupted his entire worldview.  "Are you truly a cat, or did I actually just fuck some kind of demon?"

Chen shrugs broad shoulders.  "Same thing, really."  He rolls over on to his stomach, still wearing the smile that Minseok is now convinced masks a smilodon.  

Minseok narrows his eyes further.  "I don't suppose you'd like to explain what the hell is going on?"

Chen idly kicks his feet in the air over that sinful ass, furry black tail twitching gently in concert.  "I'm an agent of chaos.  I'm far from forthcoming, but I'm your familiar now.  While I may obfuscate for my own amusement, I can't actually lie to you, if it's any comfort."

Minseok raises a brow.  "What exactly is a familiar?"

"I might not be able to lie, but that doesn't mean I'm going to spill all my secrets so easily."

Minseok closes his eyes, struggling to collect himself.  This day went straight to hell in a handbasket as soon as dispatch called him at 0330.  In less than five hours, he's been transformed from Chief Inspector Kim Minseok, sane, rational man of honor, to a possibly crazy, definitely confused idiot, sprawled on the floor in the ruins of his uniform and covered in his own filth, after apparently having sex with some sort of cat-demon-man that is now apparently his familiar, whatever the fuck that entails.  If this is a dream, he rather hopes he wakes up soon.

But the world seems to be in the same completely nonsensical state when he opens his eyes again, so he grits his teeth, determined to soldier on regardless of what the fuck is happening to him.  "Right," Minseok states, as if to shove his derailed morning back on track with his words and his will.  "I still want answers about what the fuck you just did to me, but we can play Twenty Questions: Uncooperative Asshole Edition later.  I have a job to do.  I need a shower, and caffeine, and calories, and some sort of proof that I'm not dreaming, insane, or irredeemably stupid."

"Well... You're definitely not dreaming," Chen offers with a smirk.

Minseok gives his supposed familiar his most withering look.  With heroic effort, he forces himself to sit up, then kneel, and then he finally struggles to his feet, swaying heavily.  He launches himself towards his bedroom, but he manages to stagger only a few steps before his legs give out beneath him, and he seems destined to collapse into the carpet once again--this time, tragically, butter-side-down.

Except Chen catches him, looping Minseok's arm over his shoulders to keep him upright.  "You're a tenacious little thing, aren't you?" the fiend coos.  "I like that in a human." 

Minseok sneers in response, but allows Chen to not-so-gently drag him down the hall and into his bedroom.

Chen whistles at Minseok's neatly-made king-sized bed.  "Such a big bed for such a tiny little human."

"Fuck off, you're a whole two centimeters taller than I am, and I could bench-press your smug little ass without breaking a sweat."

"And yet, I'm the one dragging your grumpy little ass to the shower," Chen's smug little ass points out as he manhandles Minseok into the en-suite. 

With the demon's support, Minseok manages to prop himself under the shower's soothing spray.  He just stands there a moment, eyes closed, jaw slack, wondering what would have happened if he'd left the damn cat at the clinic like he'd originally intended before the fiend managed to be all adorable where animal-lovers could see it and make Minseok feel like a bad person for not wanting pee on his carpet.  Instead, he has bits of uniform all over his carpet, and is choosing to believe none of the fluid he'd unwisely pumped into Chen escaped that smug little ass while he was rolling around on the floor.

Something slides against Minseok's stomach, causing him to startle and flinch away, almost ending up in a heap on the shower floor.  But once again, Chen braces him, and Minseok realizes the demon is rubbing a soapy cloth over his filth-encrusted abs.

"So jumpy," the demon chides.  

"Fuck off," Minseok replies again, but Chen just continues to chuckle as he cleans his skin.

The surprisingly-gentle ministrations give the Chief Inspector the idea to change his own approach.  Maybe if Minseok is extra-nice, the mercurial beast will be inclined to do him more favors, like telling him what the fuck he's gotten himself into.

So he offers the creature an apologetic little smile.  "Uh... Sorry for snapping at you.  Er... Do you have a name other than 'Chen?'  Something you'd rather I call you?"

"I'm pretty sure I did, once, but that was so long ago I can't remember what it was."  He rinses the soapy rag, then runs it over Minseok's skin once again.  "'Chen' is fine.  I mean, I _am_ flattered that you tried to name me after Satan himself, but if I'm to be helping you with your cases, having a less infernal name is probably best." 

Minseok scoffs, forgetting about trying to play nice--nobody fucks around with his job.  "What do you mean, helping with my cases?  I don't need an untrained, unruly idiot mucking up my crime scenes, and you have a fucking tail.  There's no fucking way I'm taking you anywhere, much less anywhere near my colleagues.  The Chief Inspector can't be seen with a fucking demon that looks like a danger-twink catboy, nor can I have a pissy little kittycat following me around."

Chen curls his lip into a scowl.  "First of all, I can be more than discreet when I need to be--I am a fucking demon, and you ain't seen nothing yet, Pretty Boy.  Second of all, that was the deal--I'm bound to help you 'solve cases and stop bad guys' per your own request--no refunds, no rainchecks, no renegotiation."

He leers at an astonished Minseok as he turns the water off.  "You know, I don't actually know your proper name, either.  Everyone you've been around since we met has called you some variation on 'Chief Inspector.'  Maybe that's your kink, but if there's something else you'd rather I scream when I fuck you into that oversized mattress, feel free to let me know."  He wiggles his eyebrows salaciously.

Minseok closes his eyes, feeling his cheeks heat as he tries not to imagine Chen spread out for him on his bed or screaming his name into a pillow.  "It's 'Minseok,'" he admits, opening his eyes again as he stumbles with Chen back into the bedroom, bracing himself securely upright against the dresser. 

Boldness restored along with his stability, Minseok levels his gaze at the cat-eared man who flings his naked form on the bed in question.  "But if there's any more sex at all--which is a big fucking if--I'll be the one doing the fucking."

Chen smirks at him, running a hand over his own body from pec to thigh.  "Oh, there's definitely going to be more sex.  That was the other part of the deal--you agreed to feed me, and if you think I'm going to give you up after I've had a taste of you, you can fucking forget about it, my delicious little dumpling." 

The demon's tone turns even more mocking.  "One might think a Chief Inspector would be more cautious about the contracts he enters into.  As for who'll be doing the fucking--well.  We'll just have to see about that, won't we?"  Chen sticks a pink tongue between those feline lips.

Minseok gapes at the fiend.  "I didn't sign a contract," he snarls, pulling two pairs of boxer-briefs out of a drawer and tossing one at his adversary.  At least the fiend is close enough in size to borrow Minseok's clothes.  If he had to take a giant demon dickhead to work with him, he'd be even more fucked than he already is.

Chen snags the underwear from the air without looking.  "Demons have been making contracts long before signatures were a thing--all we need is verbal agreement.  Chief Inspectors aren't the only ones that have to follow protocol--I obeyed the rules.  Whether you knew what you were doing or not, the seal is set, my tasty little morsel."

Minseok blinks a few times.  A contract can't actually force him to have sex with this devious beast, can it?  If demons are as real as Chen makes them seem to be, and if they're all just as obnoxious as he is, Minseok supposes he wouldn't be too surprised if there were some sort of demon sex contract enforcers that would show up and pin him down or something.

The usually stoic Chief Inspector lets himself crumple forward onto the top of the dresser.  "Fuck my life," he groans.

Obnoxious laughter from the bed.  "I'll certainly fuck your ass, especially if you bend over so nicely for me."

Minseok straightens up in a hurry, setting his shoulders back and his jaw forward.  It's not that he minds bottoming, exactly, but it requires a level of trust that this demon is far from worthy of.  And Minseok often enjoys a bit of pain along with his pleasure--he's fine with being bitten, having his hair pulled, he even let a guy flog him once--but he doesn't enjoy being torn apart and then wincing every time he so much as moves.  Chen was far from gentle with himself, so Minseok's confidence that he'd be gentle with a partner is in the negatives.  The Chief Inspector might not be the biggest guy out there, but there's a fucking reason he goes to the gym besides health and vanity.  Minseok might voluntarily _give_ up control, but he's not willing to allow anyone to fucking _take_ it.

So he growls at the demon whose smirk he'd love to smack right off of that too-handsome face.  "The only thing you can fuck is yourself.  I _knew_ I should have left your tiny pink ass at the clinic." 

Minseok takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself down enough to resist starting a physical fight with something that can apparently sprout razor-sharp claws from its fingertips at will--yet another reason to keep those fingers well away from his ass.  And don't cats have spikes on their dicks?  Chen's cock looked normal before, but so did his fingers.  The more he thinks about it, the more this whole situation is definitely adding up to a gigantic  _Fuck No._

"You were the one that released me from the circle.  I'd just have followed our link and found you again."

Minseok runs his fingers through the long hair on top of his scalp, then lets his hand rub against the short fuzz on the back of his head.  It's evidently far too late to regret his life choices, so he gives himself an internal slap and sends Chen a burning glare.  "If you insist on coming with me, then put some damn clothes on.  I'm so fucking late already--I don't have time for any more paradigm shifts, existential crises, or psychotic breakdowns today."

He opens and shuts drawers until he's withdrawn a sleeveless undershirt for himself and a soft gray t-shirt and a set of black side-striped track pants for the demon.  "Your tail should fit in here, so fucking tuck and tie," he snarls, hurling the clothes at the still-smirking asshole that is evidently enjoying complicating his life--what else could he expect from a demon?  

Minseok stomps over to the closet, ripping open the door and grabbing an oversized blue Samsung Thunders hoodie that will hopefully do to hide the ears sticking out of the top of Chen's stupid tousled hair.  He flings it at the beast with extreme malice, then finds his backup uniform, scowling harder when he realizes he doesn't have a wearable jacket.  Muttering obscenities and unflattering characterizations of cats, demons, and especially cat-demons, Minseok storms to the bathroom to smear a gallon of concealer over the giant purple leech mark the cursed cat-demon left on his neck, hissing as the makeup stings against the abrasion.

Chen is dressed by the time the Inspector is satisfied with his efforts, and he looks for all the world like a playful college student instead of the entrapping, life-ruining, infuriating pit fiend that he actually is.  Minseok ignores him completely, striding past him into the living room where he transfers all the contents of his shredded toolbelt to the backup that he's currently wearing, frowning especially hard at his handcuffs as if his entire morning was their fault.  He stares at the remaining mess, actually stomping a foot at the fact that he doesn't have time to clean it up (and would therefore come home to a mess) before he manages to get ahold of himself.  

In the kitchen, Minseok throws open the fridge, grabbing the last remaining kimbap roll and biting into it viciously as he collects the last of his things.  The demon has been standing passively in the living room, a smugly amused look on his stupid kitty face as Minseok rages, and the Chief Inspector has never before wanted to give in to police brutality so fucking much.

But instead, he opens his front door, gesturing grandly (and sarcastically) for the beast to precede him into the hallway.  Minseok pulls the heavy steel door shut behind him, making sure the passcode is set and the deadbolt is thrown as he always does, then internally kicks himself in the balls for being dumb enough to literally carry his own doom into his supposedly-secure abode.

He's a little more under control after the stop at the good cafe (named Black Pearl by the owners, but usually referred to on the force by its superiority to the millions of franchise establishments).  His usual Americano soothes his shredded spirit as soon as the life-giving fluid makes contact with his tongue.  He loads a drink carrier with Detective Do's straight black coffee ("I like my coffee strong and dark, just like me"), and Detective Oh's chocolate bubble tea (the guy is a literal baby, but he shows up and works hard and is generally pleasant to be around, so Minseok has no problem indulging the rookie).  As he adds a drip coffee and a handful of packaged sugar and creamers for whomever might be at the security desk, he hears Chen politely order a long black--how fitting, for a creature with a stare like his. 

Minseok grabs a variety pack of muffins, grinding his teeth when Chen flirts sweetly with the pretty little barista, making her laugh ring out over the noise of the cafe.  It's probably actually a very nice laugh from a very nice young lady, but to Minseok it's nails on a blackboard and he hates her, hates Chen, and especially hates himself for noticing the interaction, caring about it, and then lying to himself that it's the woman's welfare he's concerned about.

The Chief Inspector pulls into the building's parking garage instead of blocking the valet lane this time, ever respectful of the citizens he'd pledged to serve.  When he kills the unmarked car's engine in the dimness of a corner spot, Minseok just sits there dumbly, staring at the steering wheel.

"What the fuck am I going to tell them about you?  I doubt they'll believe it's bring-your-asstroll-to-work day."

"So rude," the asstroll chides, sipping his coffee as if he's a normal person with an actual soul.  "Just tell them you've retained my services as a police consultant with expertise in the occult.  You won't even be lying."

Minseok blinks.  "That was a straight answer.  And it was helpful.  What the fuck has my life come to that I'm almost disturbed by that?"

Chen rolls his eyes.  "I'm contractually obligated to be helpful with your casework, Sweetcheeks."

Minseok rolls his right back.  "Is there any way we're getting through this without you embarrassing me in front of my crew?"

The signature smirk is back in place.  "Not a snowflake's chance in hell."

"Awesome," Minseok sighs, getting out of the car.  

 

Instead of a terrified man there is now a hawk-eyed woman standing at the building's security desk, and she demands to see Minseok's badge even though he's in full uniform (sans jacket).  He flashes his best smiles and uses highly respectful speech to make small talk about the weather as he hands his credentials over for inspection and signs her log book, but she still treats him with brusque suspicion.  However, it only takes one gentle twitch and a few casual words from Chen's turned-up lips to get the woman to accept the offered coffee and smile as she authorizes the elevator to take them to the penthouse.

As soon as the steel doors slide shut, Minseok's smile drops and Chen's blossoms into a cheeky grin.

"I hate you," Minseok growls.

"Hate sex is hot sex," Chen sing-songs.

Minseok lets himself believe that he would have knocked the demon's ego down a notch with a scathing comment if the elevator door hadn't opened and saved his smug little ass.

The penthouse is still a shambles, but it's beginning to be an organized sort of shambles, piles of documented and cataloged debris leaving an increasingly-clear space to walk.  Someone (Minseok's money is on the noodle tall enough to reach the ceiling) has even managed to block the broken windows with thick sheets of plywood in an effort to restore safety and reduce scene contamination.  Minseok is impressed at how much his team has managed to do while he was gone--they deserve more than coffee for this amount of quality unsupervised work.

Nonetheless, the energizing drinks are happily received, and Minseok waits for them both to indulge in a sip before proffering his apologies for being so late.  He immediately segues into introducing Chen (giving him the surname Kim because it's the most common in Korea, not at all because it happens to be his own).  Everyone accepts the apology and the introduction, and the detectives immediately take to Chen the person just as quickly as all the veterinary staff had fallen in love with Chen the cat.

_Charismatic hellspawn_.  Minseok was well and truly on to the demon's game now.  He wasn't going to let himself be played for a fool any more.  His eyes were open, and watchful, and--

"Are you alright, Chief?"

Minseok blinks rapidly.  "Perfectly.  I'm sorry--were you speaking to me?"

Detective Do forgives the inattention with a heart-shaped smile.  "You really are getting old," he teases.  "I was letting you know that with your help, we should be able to finish up in another few hours."

Minseok pulls on a pair of gloves and a set of booties and picks up a camera.  "Thanks for tolerating this old man," he replies with a half-smile.  "You guys totally kicked ass without me--I'll treat you both to a nice meal when we're done."

Detective Do grins.  "How goes the cat situation?" he asks.

Minseok sighs, recalling the mess of fabric scraps said "cat" had left on his carpet, though he supposes it's better than pee.  "Obnoxious but healthy, evidently," he answers, trying not to flick his gaze to where Chen is standing near the bookcase they found him under.  "Still no sign of an owner?"

"None--perhaps it was a stray the victim had just picked up that night or something."  Detective Do moves away, large eyes scouring the splintered floor for anything of possible interest.

"That's as good an explanation as any," Minseok agrees, keeping his own eyes firmly on his own section of floor and kicking himself for dressing the not-so-stray cat in such clingy track pants.

"So, you gonna keep him?"

"I think I'm stuck with him, whether I like it or not," Minseok sighs.  It really isn't fair for him to have such a nice ass.  And it definitely isn't fair for him to parade it around like that, now that Minseok knows how good it feels to--

"Sehun might want him."

Minseok frowns.  That noodle better keep his mitts off of--

"Or you could take him to the animal shelter."

_Oh right, the "cat."_   Minseok flicks his gaze to the senior detective, relieved that the man was concentrating on his job--unlike the distractible Chief Inspector.  He shakes himself.  "Ah, I'll hold on to him for a few more days I guess."  The cat-demon meets Minseok's gaze from across the room, and the obnoxious creature smirks at him in a way that makes Minseok question how sensitive those furry triangular ears are, even muffled by a hood.

"What's his name?"

Minseok automatically starts to say "Chen" but remembers and manages to twist the word as it slips between his lips so it ends up coming out "Chingu."

The detective lets out a belly laugh, heart shaped lips making him look sweet and squishy in contrast to his usual persona.

"What was that for?" Minseok glowers at the man.

"You're definitely keeping him, Chief.  You like to play tsundere, but I've worked with you long enough to know about your gooey filling.  You're about to tell me that you didn't actually name him because he's not yours, you just refer to him as 'friend' when you talk to him, but the fact that you  _do_  talk to him and feel the need to call him something other than 'cat' when you do means you're already getting attached."

Minseok scowls.  The most annoying thing about working with people carefully selected for their observational skills and then thoroughly training them to use said skills is dealing with shit like this.  And even though the detective isn't anywhere near the _facts_ , he's uncomfortably close to the _truth_.  Minseok had indeed felt a spark of affection for the spirited little cat, and the detective's accurate lampoon makes Minseok realize that a non-zero part of his irritation with Chen the demon cat is that he was kind of looking forward to bonding with Chen the ordinary cat.

A Chief Inspector's unpredictable schedule inevitably leads to a lot of broken dates, and the things he sees on the job make answering "How was your day?" less than simple, so Minseok has practically given up on dating at this point.  Having a living thing in his otherwise-lonely apartment to talk to that wouldn't need therapy after he told it just exactly what had been in the trunk of that abandoned car would have been nice.  The wistful vignette of the little cat snoozing adorably on his chest while he watches crime dramas on TV, occasionally flicking a velvety ear when Minseok explains to it how exactly the show is painfully inaccurate _this_ week between sips of good whiskey goes up in brimstone-scented smoke.

"Chief?"

"Hmm?"

"Setting the floor on fire with your gaze will only mean more paperwork, you know."

"Fair point."  Minseok finally manages to put on his big-boy underwear and get some actual work done.

He faithfully documents, sorts, and catalogs the contents of the apartment along with his diligent crew, even though he's fairly sure at this point that enough interrogation of Mr. Police Consultant would eventually be more fruitful than reconstructing the shattered penthouse.  He does a halfway-decent job of ignoring the infuriating creature, but even when he's out of the Chief Detective's line of sight, Minseok is still aware of exactly where the demon is, and roughly what he's doing.

_Behind me to the left, crouching on the floor._

_Over by the elevator, flirting with the rookie._

_Just on the other side of that ruined bookshelf, staring at the books--_

The books!  Detective Do had said some of them were about demons and shit--maybe Minseok could even the score a bit.  He doubts he'd get so lucky as to find a copy of  _Dominating Your Demon:  How to Stop Your Pet Asshole From Trying to Fuck Yours,_  but he might find something that tells him more about what a familiar actually was, what exactly he could do for Minseok, and how to make him do it.  Ha might not know much, but he's pretty sure the familiar is supposed to be the subordinate--after all, why would anyone want one otherwise?  He doesn't relish spending the rest of his life bound to a creature of the underworld, so he'd see if this situation is reversible first, but if this is the fate he's stuck with, he'd better figure out how to work the situation to his advantage if he wants to stay sane and un-violated.

The only caveat--and it's a big one--is that the books are technically evidence.  They've all been inventoried already, but even if they hadn't, Minseok would never compromise a scene for his own gain.  However, once a case is closed, legal-to-own evidence (like books, no matter how weird or creepy) would be returned to their owners.  If the owner is deceased, they become unclaimed property, and Minseok has the authority to decide whether said property is sold, destroyed, or appropriated for police use.

Minseok's face lights up with the first genuine smile he's produced since he woke up to find a creeper in his living room.  It's much easier to be optimistic when one has a plan, and Minseok's goes something like this:

Step one:  Use his "police consultant" to solve the case ASAP.  

Step two:  Get his hands on some weird, creepy books.

Step three:  Regain control of his life.

Chen waves at him from across the room, head tilted sideways like a spaniel, and it just makes Minseok grin even wider because for once it seems that the demon is curious about what the human knows.  He knows better than to count his laurels too much--it's possible the books will turn out to be useless.  After all, having them didn't save poor Junmyeon, but they're still the best hope Minseok has right now.

Even so, Minseok gives his consultant a cheeky wink, enjoying how the demon's eyebrows quirk up in response.

Minseok still has no fucking clue what's going on in his life.

But Chen doesn't have to know that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Author's note:  The skilled and talented **[mothmyeong](https://www.asianfanfics.com/profile/view/1756867) ** made this awesome fanart for this chapter, complete with punny title:  [ **Dubious Clawnsent**](https://mothmyeong.tumblr.com/image/176581436370).  I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I do!_


	3. Claw Enfurcement

Most of the time, Minseok loves being the best boss ever.  He makes good money, and as a single man with no time for hobbies, expensive or otherwise, he has enough spare cash to be generous with his crew.  And because he has no life, he sticks to a case once called in, doing as much of the fieldwork along with the rest of his detectives as possible, even though he still has his regular unending stream of administrative work to do on top of being on call 24/7.  His mentor, the previous Chief Inspector, had been cultivating young Minseok from pretty much his academy days, and the man was a huge proponent of leading by example, from the front lines.  He taught Minseok that a good boss should be able to personally replace any one of his subordinates in a pinch, so Minseok makes sure to keep up with the latest training and techniques so that he can be as useful to his team in the field as he is behind his desk.

But today, he wishes he was a terrible boss, one that slept while his team worked, one that stayed behind the yellow police line, one that didn't insist on doing his share of the physical labor after a demonic cat had stolen all of his energy, or preferably, one that didn't do dumb things like pick up demonic cats in the first place.  But then, if he hadn't been the one to pick it up, it only would have been one of his colleagues in his current untenable position, and because Minseok is the definition of Good Boss, he'd much rather the burden be on his shoulders than anyone else's.

Still, it's awfully hard not to complain as he photographs, sorts, and stacks, and he can't help heaving a huge sigh of relief when he and his detectives finally finish documenting and cataloguing the last area of the gutted penthouse.

The exhausted Chief Inspector sets down the digital camera.  "I'm going to go see if Consultant Kim has come up with anything," Minseok informs his colleagues, who just nod and begin to clean up their equipment.

Wearing a genuine smile--almost a smirk, really--Minseok saunters over to where the sleeping area used to be, enjoying his consultant's vaguely puzzled look as he watches the Chief Inspector approach. 

"Are you going to actually tell me anything about what happened here?" he asks when he's close enough not to be overheard.

"Of course," Chen asserts, lifting one thick black brow.

_Well, this might be easier than I thought._ Minseok smiles.  "Okay, tell me how Kim Junmyeon died."

Chen scoffs.  "Well, that's only obvious: The Dark Lady finally fucked him to death."

_Then again, maybe not._ Minseok sighs.  "Fucked to death?  Without a mark on him?"

This time, both of Chen's brows call Minseok a moron.  "It doesn't leave a mark to drain all of someone's energy."

Minseok's own angled eyebrows lift.  "And is this my ultimate fate as well?"

Chen shrugs, hands in the pockets of the too-clingy black track pants.  "Maybe you'll get hit by a bus or something first."

_Great._   Minseok takes a deep breath and tries to focus on the case rather than his own predicament.  "Who is the Dark Lady, anyway?"

"A name that people call one of the succubus queens when they don't want to get her attention."

"And who is this succubus queen?"

"That's not really germane to the case."

"Of course it is, if she killed Junmyeon."

Chen rolls his eyes.  "Are you really going to indict a succubus queen?  Send someone to arrest her in the abyss?  Demand that she show up in your human court?"

Minseok frowns.  "I guess not.  But I have to have some explanation to close the case."

Chen shrugs again.  "Go with the lightning theory.  Can't be proved or disproved."

The Chief Inspector draws himself up to his full height (which unfortunately is slightly shorter than the demon).  "I'm not going to falsify information!" he hisses his indignation.

Another shrug.  "You don't really have to--you can say that it's possible that he'd been electrocuted, and while there is no evidence to definitively support that conclusion, electrocution doesn't always leave evidence.  Then just leave it at that."

Minseok gestures at the demolished penthouse.  "What about all this destruction?  Did your succubus queen cause all that, too?"

Chen's face fills with scorn.  "She's not  _my_  queen.  But yes."

"Why?"

Chen pokes at a splintered floorboard with the toe of his borrowed sneaker.  "Not important."

Minseok resists the urge to slap the demon in front of his subordinates.  "And how does my chaotic consultant suggest we obfuscate that particular fact?"

Yet another shrug.  "I dunno, explosive ball lightening?  Unexplained natural phenomena?  Insurance should pay out for the building owners to repair the place under the "Acts of God" clause--which I personally would find deliciously ironic."

"Mmm."  Minseok wanders over to the evidence boxes labeled "Books:  Occult."  He lifts a lid, scanning the spine-up titles.  It wouldn't be fun to go through all of these, but he will if he has to, as soon as they're released from the evidence locker.  Still, he doesn't relish subjecting himself to Chen's unrestrained appetites until then, so he might as well see if his supposedly-helpful consultant will give him a hint.

"Which one of these books will tell me how to keep you from raping me?" Minseok asks in the same tone as all the other questions he's been pelting Chen with.

Chen blinks.  "That's not relevant to the case."

"Nope, just relevant to my life."

"You agreed--" Chen starts, but Minseok has spent the last several hours letting his mind boil freely as his body performed repetitive and tedious tasks, and he's come to some important conclusions.

"I agreed to feed you.  I did not agree to give you unfettered access to my body or my energy."

Chen is silent, and Minseok feels a spark of hope kindle in his gut.  The demon tricked him into this contract instead of just tackling him, even though Chen claimed he was starving.  It would have been so easy for him to assault Minseok in his sleep, but he didn't--surely not out of the goodness of his inhuman heart.  If Minseok truly was helpless in this arrangement, the demon wouldn't be trying so hard to keep the power balance tipped in his favor by keeping Minseok clueless.

The silence stretches out along with Minseok's smile.  "If you're going to make my life a living hell, I will dedicate it to figuring out how to end this contract that you were so desperate to trap me in.  Father Zhang might have some ideas on how to get rid of you, or maybe I'll make it an official police case to learn how to control or banish a demon.  Then you'd have to help me--and I'd personally find _that_ deliciously ironic."

Chen is glaring at him now, but Minseok's grin just widens.

"You need me, don't you?  You need me more than I need you, that's for damn sure.  So you're going to be a good little kitty, respect your master's boundaries, and accept the feedings you're given."

Chen's handsome face is twisted with rage, but Minseok is buoyed by the fact that Chen hasn't argued or attacked him.

"That's my good boy," Minseok coos, peeling his gloves off and patting his familiar's back.  "We're just finishing up, and then I'm taking my detectives out for samgyeopsal.  If you'd like to eat more filthy human food--and you can manage to be pleasant, non-embarrassing company--you're welcome to join us."  Minseok might be a snowflake in hell, but at least he seems to have figured out how to adjust the climate controls.

As the Chief Inspector strides off to help his crew clean up, he's still strangely aware of his seething little demon behind him, but fury doesn't seem to be the only thing he's seething with.  Minseok can't keep the grin off his face, because the odd supernatural connection he seems to share with his familiar is giving away the fact that Chen is more than a little aroused, and if that's how it's going to be, Minseok can definitely work with that.

As commanding as Minseok is at work, he's never purposely brought that attitude into the bedroom before, instead choosing partners that were eager and all over him of their own volition, much as Chen had been during their first encounter.  And while he'd always enjoyed a spirited lover, he'd also prided himself on being giving and respectful and taking good care of his partners, but Chen... He's an incendiary combination of hot and infuriating, and if Minseok can feed his hungry little demon while releasing some of his own frustration, he thinks he could find this whole familiar situation more than tolerable.

So he's whistling cheerfully as he piles load after load of evidence into the elevator, even if he has to make twice as many trips because he's still weak as a newborn kitten thanks to a very adult cat.  Both of his detectives are giving him odd looks, but he doesn't care.  His life has been a rollercoaster for the last twelve hours, and if he's a little giddy in front of his subordinates, he's just grateful to not be having a nervous breakdown instead.

When everything is loaded into the white police transit vans and carted away, Minseok thanks the security attendant, not even caring that she glares at him but smiles at Chen.  Despite the demon's closed lips, Minseok is putting the pieces together on his own like the excellent Chief Inspector he knows himself to be.  If Chen needs sex to survive, it makes sense that he'd be able to literally charm the pants off of his target.  Of course, Minseok generally prefers that people he interrogates keep their pants on for the duration, but he is starting to see how his charismatic little pet might actually be able to help him "solve cases and stop bad guys" when he isn't actually an eyewitness himself.

 

The samgyeopsal restaurant, a tiny little hole-in-the-wall establishment that is the undisputed favorite of Minseok and his crew, is packed when they arrive.  The owners, the cutest little old couple, are thrilled to see them as usual, seating them at the next open table despite the line and including extra meat per serving over Minseok's affectionate protests.  Detective Do is in charge of the grilling as usual, but he happily instructs a curious Chen in the art of meat management as soon as he realizes the consultant has an interest.  While the two of them cook the meat with all the seriousness of open-heart surgery, Detective Oh is thrilled to find Minseok a captive audience for his endless amusing stories about his new puppy, a bichon he's decided to call ViVi.  He does remember to ask after the stray cat, so Minseok shares how the little beast seems to be settling in and getting used to living with Minseok, even though he did shred fabric all over the carpet.

He smiles innocently at Chen when the demon gives him the side-eye, and keeps smiling as Chen proves to be a polite and entertaining dinner companion.  He really seems to enjoy the samgyeopsal, and Minseok wonders if only providing him with human food would count as feeding him.  Not that he's averse to fucking the beautiful man, but he's curious about the demon's statement that Junmyeon had never fed him properly and therefore he was starving.  Chen's not overly skinny, but Minseok supposes he shouldn't put too much stock in the appearance of a man that can evidently transform himself into a cat.  He's kind of curious to see that, too, and wonders if Chen can do that whenever he wants or if it has to do with the circle Minseok apparently found him in.

In all it's a pleasant meal, so Minseok is cautiously hoping to be able to chat with his newly-compliant familiar once they return to the apartment.  He smiles indulgently when as soon as they get home, Chen pulls off the hoodie and flings it on the floor, then sheds socks and shoes and goes for the waistband of his pants.

"Are you some kind of nudist?" Minseok asks, picking up the shed articles of clothing and putting the sneakers back neatly in the rack.

"My tail," Chen complains, wiggling out of the confining fabric until the feline appendage in question unfurls behind him as he sighs in relief.

Minseok feels a little bad.  "I'm sorry," he says.  "I didn't realize it would be so uncomfortable for you to have it tucked like that."

"Well it is," the disgruntled cat grumbles, giving Minseok his back as he heads for the sofa, still wearing the soft gray T-shirt and the boxer-briefs that he's evidently slit a hole in to allow his tail to emerge.

Minseok bites his lip in contemplation.  "Maybe when it gets colder you can wear a trenchcoat or something that might be less restrictive."  He tucks his black leather shoes into the rack and undoes his utility belt.

"Maybe if you feed me better, I'll be able to transform properly," Chen spits back.

Minseok's angled brows slide up his forehead.  "What, like not have a tail at all?"

Chen just glares, ebon-furred appendage curled around him as if it needs to hug its owner after being so mistreated.

"I'll feed you well," Minseok promises, feeling like the worst pet owner ever.  "I'll feed you now, if you want."  He approaches the figure on the sofa.

"Not if you want to live."

Minseok freezes.  He'd forgotten about the whole "fucked to death" thing.  "Oh.  Sorry.  Uh... How do I feed you well and survive?"

"Eat properly, sleep well, exercise, take vitamins."

Minseok smiles.  "I usually do those things.  Well, except for the sleep.  I never seem to have enough of that," he admits.

"Then go fucking get some," Chen snarls.

Minseok runs his hand over the velvet on the back of his own head.  "Uh, well, there's still a lot of paperwork--"

"Show me."

Minseok tilts his head, but he heads to his study, unlocking the fireproof door with his thumbprint and stepping inside trailed by a grumpy shadow with a grumpier tail.  The rows of framed awards and certifications and commendations covering the royal-blue walls make him feel a bit like a child in front of his little-league trophies, but Chen doesn't even seem to notice the decor.  The demon's eyes are glued to the Chief Inspector's wide cherry desk which is piled high with tidy stacks of forms and diagrams and reports and logs, surrounding the biometrically-encrypted  laptop that doesn't even have an internet connection--it must be physically plugged in to the mainframe to synch data.  Minseok explains how it's his responsibility to go over every single item from each and every case the department processes, ensuring that every procedure has been followed to the utmost degree and that nothing has been overlooked or compromised. 

Chen scowls at the piles of paperwork.  "Is there a specific deadline?"

"Well, I like to do it as soon as possible, because otherwise it piles up."

"Sounds like a 'no.'  Go to sleep."  The demon prods Minseok away from the desk.

"Getting it done in a timely manner is my responsibility," Minseok resists.

But the demon is inhumanly strong and soon has the Chief Inspector on the other side of the secure door.  "And your optimum wellbeing is evidently now my responsibility if I want you healthy enough to feed me well, so go the fuck to sleep."

They trade glares for a long moment, but the truth is, Minseok is about to drop where he stands, even if it's barely six pm.  "Fine," he says.  "I'll clean the carpet, take a shower, and sleep."

"I'll clean the carpet.  You showered already today--twice.  You're clean enough. Just fucking sleep."

More glaring, then Minseok turns on his heel, forces himself to walk past the place where it looks like a Chief Inspector exploded all over his carpet, and goes the fuck to sleep.

 

When Minseok wakes up, it's pitch black, and the glowing blue numbers of his alarm clock inform him it's just after three a.m.  He lays in bed for a moment, blinking at the ceiling, trying to decide if he'd be happier if he went into the living room and Chen was there or if he wasn't and the last twenty-four hours hadn't actually happened.  Except that he can still  _feel_  Chen, knows he's in the apartment, knows that he's sleeping, though as soon as he realizes he can tell that particular detail, he can feel that Chen wakes up.  

Curious about how exactly this connection works (and feeling incredibly refreshed and in the mood for some company), Minseok decides to experiment.  If he can feel things about Chen, it seems logical that the familiar should be able to feel things about Minseok, too.

_Come here,_  he thinks, trying to push the thought down the link between them.  _Come here, and I'll feed you._

Minseok immediately feels ridiculous, both for trying to mentally summon Chen like he was Professor X or something, and for wanting him to come to the bedroom in the first place.  He spent so much time being so angry at the demon for tricking him into what essentially feels like prostitution except instead of getting paid he gets stuck with an irritable fiend that may or may not be actually useful to him.  But Chen is really fucking hot, and Minseok is really fucking lonely.  There's no way he can ever try to date--as if it wasn't hard enough before, now he'll apparently have to explain, "Yeah, this is my demonic catboy that I have to contractually fuck, I hope you don't mind."  So if he's now stuck being life partners with a stubborn, secretive, bossy, argumentative--

Something thumps softly against the polished wood of his bedroom door.

Minseok sits up in surprise, realizing that he can feel Chen really close--and really hungry.  His stomach drops, whether in anticipation or apprehension he's not sure, but he still flips back the soft gray coverlet and gets up to unlock and open the door.

Chen is sitting in the hallway, indignant and fully feline, deep copper eyes glaring at Minseok balefully.  Suddenly nervous, Minseok backs up, making room for the demon to enter but unsure what to say.  He's not actually sure that Chen is here because he was called, or if he just felt that Minseok was awake and came to claim his breakfast.  

Chen hops up onto the bed, blinks disdainfully at Minseok, then begins washing himself.  Nerves dissolved, Minseok watches this blatant act of "I'm ignoring you" with unconcealed amusement.  He says nothing, just leans against his doorframe with his arms folded across his bare chest in a way he knows accentuates his physique.  Chen's raspy pink tongue smooths the fur on his chest and then his belly, then the beast sticks his back leg straight up in the air and continues to lick his way down his body.  

Minseok snorts.  "If you can do that, what do you need me for?"

Chen pauses mid-lick to give him a dead-eyed stare, then resumes grooming himself slowly while maintaining eye contact.

Minseok rolls his eyes.  "You can take a human shower whenever you want.  If you don't like my shampoo and stuff, we can get you your own."

Chen continues to lick, working his way along one back leg.

"Suit yourself," Minseok shrugs, deciding that if Chen's not interested in being fed, his own stomach sure is. 

He pads down the hall barefoot, pleasantly surprised that the husk of exploded Chief Inspector has mysteriously disappeared from his carpet.  His stainless-steel fridge is sadly empty, so it's either packaged ramyun or all-night delivery.  He stands in his similarly-understocked walk-in pantry, eyeing the ramyun, then contemplating the tidy rack of delivery menus.  Sighing, he decides that if he's going to be feeding two people instead of one, and if he's supposed to be taking really good care of himself, he should probably get some actual groceries.  He's not sure if he can go anywhere without Chen--he still needs to sit the beast down and at least get a basic understanding of how his life has changed.  If Chen does indeed have to accompany him everywhere, then he supposes the best time to take a demon to the grocery store is probably right about now.  Few other people would be there, and grumpy people shuffling around in hoodies is pretty much the 0330 demographic anyway.

So he pads back to the bedroom, where the cat is curled into a tiny ball of animosity at the very corner of the bed, dark honey eyes glaring at him from behind a tightly-wrapped tail.  Minseok smirks at Chen.  He's so cute when he's being a grumpy cat, but Minseok is still pretty sure if he tried to pet him he'd draw back a bleeding limb.

"So grumpy with me right now, aren't you?" he asks his un-pettable pet.

Chen continues to glare, coal-black ears folded flat against his skull.

"Did I wake you up?"

More glaring.

"Is it because I called you?"

So much glaring.

"I'm sorry if that was rude or something--I really have no idea about any of this, and you don't really want to enlighten me, so I thought I'd try something out."

A blink.

"Do you want me to feed you?  You can sleep in the bed with me afterwards, if you want."

The tip of Chen's tail twitches.

"I can tell you're hungry," Minseok persists.  "Would you rather have human food?"

Back to glaring.

"I was thinking I'd go get some groceries.  Would that be okay with Your Royal Highness?"

More glaring.

"Do you want to come with me?  Do you want me to get you anything?  Do you want to respond to anything I do or say?"

A blink.

Minseok huffs.  "Well, this was enlightening.  Glad we had this talk."

He pulls on a T-shirt and some sweatpants and heads to the door, feeling the cat's eyes on him as he grabs his keys and wallet and heads out.

 

The grocery store is indeed filled with a scant few shuffling zombies and Minseok is a bit disappointed that Chen didn't accompany him, not just because his chest feels tighter the farther he gets from his familiar.  It would have been interesting to see what the demon likes or dislikes or if he has any opinion on human food at all.  Minseok still doesn't know if his familiar actually needs to eat human food, so he just gets twice as much as he usually would for himself.  He contemplates the shampoo aisle, wondering what sort of thing the man might like, then snorts to himself as he wonders if any of the companies make brimstone-scented bodywash.

Since he doesn't know if the man will actually take showers or if he'll insist on washing himself in cat form, he skips getting extra toiletries, though he does grab an extra toothbrush.  Chen has only kissed him once, and Minseok is almost sure that the kiss is part of the reason he was so cooperative when Chen rode him on the floor--his lips were really tingly right before he started to feel a bit floaty.  Minseok isn't really sure he even wants to kiss Chen again--even if he was imagining the tingles, kissing is the kind of thing you do with someone you're into, and Minseok isn't sure he wants to be into Chen.  

Well, okay.  Part of him is already very attached, but again, he's not sure if he's developing genuine amorous feelings, if it's just lust, or if it's a function of their bond.  Whatever it is, it's much more visceral than any attachment he's ever formed to a lover before.  It's not a butterflies-in-the-stomach, my-crush-smiled-at-me sort of thing, it's more of an emphatic  _mine_  Minseok feels whenever he looks at or thinks about Chen.  It's not really in a jealous sort of way--if Chen could sleep with anyone else, Minseok is fairly sure he'd have exploited that option rather than be stuck waiting for Minseok to regain energy between meals, so whatever's going on that makes Chen need a human at all is apparently an exclusive sort of thing.  And it's not really a possessive sort of thing--Minseok doesn't feel the need to flaunt their relationship (such as it is) or cover Chen with love bites or any other public declaration of ownership.  It's just a sort of constant settled in his gut--Chen is his.  Sometimes the thought pleases him, sometimes it distresses him, but it's always there, and feels like it always will be.

But Minseok would be lying if he said he didn't wish it was a little more than that.  Or rather, that it was a little more than that from Chen's point of view.  He only needs to feed from Minseok, and evidently finds him sexually attractive enough to do so.  He doesn't bother to hide his disdain for the human he's tied to, though it seems he'll bully Minseok into keeping his strength up.  Given that cats are often aloof creatures, and demons are all probably sociopaths at best, Minseok supposes lust and a harsh sort of caretaking are pretty much the best things he can hope for from his new seemingly-permanent life partner.  But even though Minseok didn't date much before, he always thought settling down with someone and making a cozy life together was a thing that would definitely happen In The Future, and to have that nebulous dream made extremely difficult, if not obliterated completely, is still a little sad.

It's as if Minseok has a chronic disease or something.  Sure, life can be good, but there's always that knowledge in the back of his head that Things Aren't Okay.  That someday, this demon will probably claim his life.  That nothing will be normal for Minseok ever again.  But it's not productive to wallow in feeling sorry for oneself, so Minseok grits his teeth and forces himself not to dwell on his situation.

Minseok knows better than to hope for any kind of reciprocal relationship with the demon aside from sex, so when he picks up two servings of his favorite foods, it's just because that's what Minseok likes, and not because he wants to see if Chen enjoys it as much as he does.  And when he decides to get ingredients to make ginseng chicken soup, it's just because it's supposed to be good for vitality, and not because he's imagining sharing his cozy kitchen with Chen, one of them preparing the meat while the other slices the vegetables, working in easy companionship.  And if he chooses the paper towels that are printed with little cat faces, it's certainly only a coincidence if their upturned smiles look a lot like Chen's serifed grin.  He's absolutely not going to care about Chen any more than the beast cares about him.

By the time he's hauled his way-too-many shopping bags back up to his apartment, he can tell that his little demon is once again awake and very, very hungry.  He's barely pressed his finger on the print scanner when the door flies open and he's dragged inside by the shoulders.  A very nude Chen divests him of the bags, shoves all of them into the fridge without even looking at them, and before Minseok can protest that the paper towels don't really need to be chilled before use, the demon is pinning him with that tractor-beam gaze.

"I'm hungry.  Feed me now," Chen demands.

"Oh.  Of course."  Minseok looks away, suddenly shy, but his eyes are drawn back to those sinful lips before flicking up to those inky black eyes.  "I, uh...  I don't know what you like.  Do you want me to kiss you?  Touch you?  Do you want to bite me again?  What makes it a good feeding for you?"

Chen has his lower lip between his teeth, clearly fighting with himself.  Eventually, hunger wins over obstinacy, and he answers with a scowl.  "We each need to get off while in physical contact with the other.  The more intense it is for you, the better it is for me.  Ideally, you'd be screaming--it doesn't matter if it's pleasure or pain, but pain is of course easier," Chen snarls.

Minseok blinks.  "Oh.  So, you just want me to do whatever turns me on the most?"  He traps his full lower lip between his teeth, looking his furious little fiend up and down.

"You decreed I'm to accept the feedings I'm given." Chen spits out.  "So just get it over with already."

A grin suddenly blooms across Minseok's face as understanding blossoms in his mind.  "Oh, no wonder you're such a pissy little kitty.  You think letting the human have his way is going to be boring and unsatisfying for you?  You think I'm going to cradle you and take you gently with romantic candles everywhere?  That I'm just going to feed you plain rice porridge, dribble by dribble?"  He pulls his shirt off over his head.  Minseok might prefer his partners enthusiastic and giggling, but that doesn't mean he doesn't know how to play rough.

"I might do things sweetly and softly for someone special that I love, but I don't love you.  I don't even think I  _like_  you.  And it's very clear that you don't like me.  You only care that I'm healthy enough to service you well.  That's all I am to you, right?  Your sexual service station?"  Minseok stalks towards Chen, who just stares him down as he approaches.

Minseok stops when his bare chest is pressed against Chen's.  He lifts his chin, looking the smoldering demon in the eye.  "And yet you need to be serviced, so you have to let me call the shots, and you just fucking _hate_ that don't you?  You don't bow down to anyone, do you?  Not succubus queens, and especially not a lowly human."

Chen curls his lip, but says nothing.

Minseok smirks, sure he has the demon pegged.  "I wonder how far you'll let me go?  Will you let me manhandle you, even though you're strong enough to stop me?"  He puts his hands on Chen's lovely pecs, pushing with increasing force until the demon takes a step back, though he doesn't break eye contact.  Minseok's smirk widens into a wicked grin as he feels a curl of arousal lick along their mental link that Minseok is beginning to understand is the basis of their inability to lie to each other.

He pushes harder, faster, until Chen's shoulder blades impact the back of the heavy steel front door.  The air escapes the demon's chest with a whuff, and the curl of arousal brightens with the burst of pain.

_Oh, that's right._ Chen skewered himself on Minseok the first time, no prep, no lube.  He can handle more than a little rough treatment, and Minseok is happy to oblige.  He slides a hand up into that tousled hair, intending to tangle his fingers into the strands, but he encounters something new and interesting instead.

He grabs one of the black slightly-curved horns that have replaced the feline ears, wrenching the demon's head back harshly.  "Do you want me to hurt you, handsome Chenny?"  Lust floods up the mental link.

Minseok purrs into the ear now tilted down towards him.  "You let me handcuff you because you knew you could get free.  I bet you'd just _hate_ it if I could restrain you for real."

He pulls the horn further around, forcing the rest of the demon's body to twist until his chest is pressed against the door.  Minseok purrs into the other ear.  "What if I could just grab you, cuff you, pin you down and fuck you while twisting those arms up behind you, pulling your hair, smashing your face into the bed until you can't breathe?"  If Minseok wasn't turned on before, the wave of heat pouring through the link would be enough to set him on fire.

Chen's tail is now spade-tipped and leathery to match those fiendish horns, and it lashes against Minseok's sweatpants.  Minseok rolls his hips against the ass behind the thrashing tail.  "Maybe I'll just fuck your cute little ass right up against this door."   

A moan breaks free from Chen's lips, and Minseok cackles as their link becomes molten.  "Oh yeah, that's definitely what's gonna happen."

He frees his erection from his sweatpants, then grabs that twisting tail.  Minseok runs his hand down the warm black skin, tugging as he does to bring the spaded tip up toward the hand that's still holding the demon by the horn.  He wrenches the horn further downward until he can hold the end of the tail in the same hand, arcing the demon's back and exposing that sweet ass.  Now with one hand free, Minseok spits in it to slick himself just enough to force his cock inside Chen's little pink asshole. 

Chen screams as his body is invaded, and Minseok would be gutted by remorse except that the sensation zinging down their link is white hot ecstasy.  So he thrusts again and again until he's completely buried inside the demon, then sets a brutal rhythm without giving his masochistic partner time to adjust.

"Fuck, Chen, you're so hot and tight for me, aren't you?"  Minseok pants between Chen's screams.  "Damn, you feel so good, my sexy little demon.  How well does it feed you if _you're_ the one screaming?"

His hold on Chen's hip is so firm that Minseok's knuckles are white, and he continues to slam his hungry little demon against the door again and again until he can feel through their link Chen's pleasure surging toward its peak.

"Come on, ChenChen, scream my name," Minseok growls through a grin.  "Who owns your cute little ass?  Who gets to fill you to the brim?  Who is feeding you _so fucking well_ right now?"

"M-Minseok!" Chen wails as he comes all over the door.  His pleasure sizzles down their link and Minseok is riding the edge.

"That's right, my little beast," Minseok praises, feeling his own orgasm rushing towards him like a tsunami.  "Now take it.  Take what your master gives you."  Minseok howls as he pumps his demon full of his come, feeling the accumulated energy pulse away from him in waves along with his pleasure.  Chen is keening in response, their link glowing with his satisfaction as Minseok gives him what he needs.

Completely spent, Minseok releases his hold on the demon's horn and tail, bracing himself against the door instead and allowing Chen's well-used body to drop to the cool white tile.  He stares down between his biceps at the demon crumpled at his feet, once again wearing his feline appendages along with a look of shocked satiation.

Minseok is also on the verge of collapse, but he forces himself to remain strong.  "Clean this mess up," he commands, then pushes off the door and strides manfully down the hall.

He manages to make it out of sight of the door before he stumbles into a crawl, but Chen still crows in mocking glee.  Resenting the sudden reminder that their link must go both ways, Minseok drags himself to the bedroom and kicks the door shut behind him, collapsing on the bed for another few hours' sleep.

 

Minseok's alarm plays its peppy little tones at seven a.m. as usual, and Minseok's hunger is a fist in his guts before he even opens his eyes.  The corner of his lip twitches upward as he puts more pieces together--how ironic for a guy to spend his late teens trying so hard to lose weight and keep it off, only to spend his late twenties (and the rest of his life) needing to consume enough calories to regularly fuck-feed a demon.

He drags himself out of bed, feeling like he'd run a marathon the day before but managing to shower without mishap.  Again, he wonders about his new flatmate's grooming habits, which leads him to wonder about human-food-eating habits, entertainment needs, hobbies... But why the fuck does he care?  He's not obligated to entertain someone who invaded his life and made Minseok's needs subsequent to their own.  He doesn't need to earn the demon's approval--not that it's a realistic goal to gain any type of meaningful relationship with something so severely self-centered.

When he's clean, Minseok puts on comfortable but professional clothes.  It's ostensibly his day off, but what that really means is he'll go in to the office to pick up more paperwork, then bring it home to add to his already-towering piles.  Maybe the demon will behave himself today and let the Chief Inspector plow through his paperwork without further bullying--if he doesn't make a serious dent in it today, he'll never catch back up.

He exits his bedroom, still running a towel over his damp hair, and goes to find some breakfast.  He's pretty sure he bought eggs and bread and--why does it already smell like eggs and toast?

Maybe because there's a plate of steaming scrambled eggs and golden-brown slices of toast on his kitchen table.

Minseok looks around, assuming his hungry little demon is merely fattening up his food supply, but he still feels the need to thank him.  No sign of the beast in question, and Minseok is a little concerned--until he remembers he can feel where Chen is.  The link indicates he's somewhere in the direction of the sofa, and Minseok is getting a sneaky sort of vibe down the connection.  Minseok smiles to himself, wondering if kitty-Chen is hiding under the sofa specifically to avoid being thanked.

He sits and eats like the good little milk cow he feels like, able to linger over the meal since he didn't have to spend time preparing it, checking the news and the police blotter from overnight.  When he's done, he cheerfully washes his plate at the double sink, noting that however Chen prepared the meal, he didn't leave dirty dishes behind.

"Thanks--that was really good," Minseok says in the direction of the sofa, almost enjoying the puff of disdain that floats up their link.  "I'm going to stop by the station to grab some things, but then I'll come back and work from home today."  He pauses, head tilted as he considers.  "Do you want to come with me?  Then we could stop on the way home and get you clothes or toiletries or anything else you might need."

No response, just vague annoyance from their link.

Minseok sighs.  "Suit yourself.  I should be back in about an hour."

He's tempted to make it more than an hour, enjoying his time among normal, non-demonic humans that do strange things like answer questions he asks them and interact with him in non-sexual ways.  But his chest hurts more the longer he's away from his familiar, and he's a little afraid of what Chen might do (or is doing) to his apartment in his absence, so he returns home promptly like an honorable man and not an anxious schoolboy.

When he gets home, kitty-Chen is lying in the middle of the living room on his back, limbs in the air but entirely relaxed, baleful blood amber gaze tracking Minseok as he carries a box of paperwork and his newly-synched laptop to the coffee table.

Minseok snorts as he passes by the otherwise-motionless creature.  "I might be naive enough to forge a contract with a demon, but even I know _that's_ a trap."

A slow blink and a twitch of the tip of that ebony tail are the only response.

And Minseok would be okay with this, would have said he'd preferred quiet over noise, order over chaos, sanity over madness.  And of course he hasn't known Chen long--barely twenty-four hours--but the mouthy little cat and the smugly prevaricating demon seem much more natural forms than this silent predator or the cooperative sex partner.

He'd chosen to work in the living room rather than in his secure office in an attempt to be sociable with the creature who now shares his life, but after an hour of paperwork, during which the demon has remained feline and still in the middle of his floor, Minseok sighs.

"Look, clearly I've somehow sucked all the fun out of your life.  I'd apologize, except that I suspect you're annoyed because you don't get to assault me or maybe just because I've turned out not to be as easy to dominate and control as you might have hoped, but no amount of pouting is going to convince me to let you rip me apart with your possibly-spikey demon-cat cock."

Accusation floats through their link, but Minseok shakes his head.  "I only did it to you because you  _like_  it, and because I strongly suspect you heal as you feed.  I highly doubt there's _anything_ I could do to you that would permanently injure you even if I tried.  But I'm just a fragile little human, and you can't claim to want me in good shape to feed you well and also be upset that I'm not keen to let you put me in the hospital."

More static up the line.

"Look, Fuzzybuns, I didn't choose this.  I might have agreed legally according to demon law or whatever, but it's not like I woke up yesterday and thought, 'I think I'd like to become a demon's sex toy.'  You chose this for both of us, and yet stupidly I'm the one trying to make the best of it, trying to be accommodating to all of your needs, but you're not even making it easy for me to do that.  I get that you resent being stuck to a human, and I get that you're super dominant and manly and I'm being incredibly difficult by refusing to bow down and be your cocksheath, but I'm at least trying to find ways to make things good for you without harming me.  You can't tell me you didn't enjoy being fucked against the door--"

A wave of feeling floods the link, some combination of lust and humiliation and anger, and Chen slinks under the sofa as swiftly and smoothly as if he were made of ink.

Minseok's eyebrows go up.  Oh, Chen liked it alright--and he hates that he liked it, which means he probably hates Minseok for doing it to him.  The puny human dared to dominate the demon, and the demon had to let him, had to cooperate with the disrespect in order to get fed, and now the human knows it's an effective feeding method, knows the demon is turned on by something he hates having to do.

Chen probably thinks Minseok is going to exploit this knowledge, keep forcing the demon to submit, maybe making the experience more and more demeaning for the beast, and he'd have to cooperate to survive _and_  he'd still have to hold up his side of the deal, and Minseok feels a little like maybe he's the rapist now.

The Chief Inspector taps the end of his pen on his lip, contemplating how to make the demon happy, and then suppresses a snort because  _why_  is he trying to make life good for the creature that was absolutely thrilled to make Minseok's life hell?  Because he's the definition of a Good Boss, he supposes, and he views Chen as one more thing under his responsibility.  

Besides, while he knows better than to ever expect affection from the demon, he'd at least prefer to live with someone who didn't actively hate him, even if that someone expresses his hatred by basically ignoring him.

But if Chen can't lie to him, that probably means he can't make a promise he doesn't intend to keep.  So that means that Minseok could potentially trust him to take care of him during sex--if he was very explicit about the rules and making him promise to abide by them.

"Okay, Chenny.  I get why you're playing shadowkitty right now, but you forget that I'm not a demon.  I'm not the type to exploit you just because I can.  Demons probably don't have friends, but I'm foolishly hoping we can eventually go from hatred to mutual respect, or at least mutual courtesy, or, hell, even just mutual neutrality.  So I'm open to suggestions as to what we can do to make things tolerable for both of us.  We can negotiate--you just have to agree to be relatively gentle with your breakable little fucktoy.  Maybe we can get a TENS or a violet wand or something.  If you want me screaming, e-stim would certainly do it."

Now curiosity is trickling up the link.

"Ah, now the human knows something the demon doesn't.  I think I'll just sit here and savor this feeling, and give you a small taste of the frustration that my life has become."

And back to animosity.  

"Yeah, well, fuck you, too.  I'm just saying it'd be nice to get some basic fucking answers once in a while, instead of playing emoji-charades through our cheap-ass Vulcan mind-meld or whatever the fuck is going on with our heads."

Annoyance.

"Look, Houdini, if you want to protect all your super-secret demon tricks because it makes you feel like you wear the pants--even if your ass is almost always naked--go right ahead.  I just want some basic, practical information, like do you want human food on a regular basis, and if so, what kind?  Or maybe you'd like some non-metaphorical pants, or would like to bathe with something other than your own spit?  You're just making your own life uncomfortable by being pissy and recalcitrant.  I'm willing to care about you--fuck if I know why, when you so obviously have zero regard for me--but if you'd like some creature comforts or if you'd like to negotiate ways I can feed you without humiliation or hemorrhaging on either side, you're going to have to find your fuzzy little testicles and actually talk to the filthy human you foisted yourself upon."

With that, Minseok returns to his paperwork, putting his hot-but-hateful contractual fuckbuddy out of his head so he can finally get some work done.


	4. Fuck the Pawlice

Chief Inspector Kim Minseok wishes that his job was half as glamorous as it seems on the police dramas that are his guilty pleasure, but the sad fact of the matter is, he spends more time doing paperwork than he does anything else.  Good policework isn't tackling bad guys and magical forensics, good policework is making sure every single detail of a case is correct down to the ground.  Minseok has a great team, so he usually doesn't have to panic about major screw-ups or even perform many corrections, but he still has to go over everything with a gimlet eye, double-checking that--

"I like meat."

The statement shatters the silence of Minseok's apartment from about fifteen centimeters away from his ear, and the usually-unflappable Chief Inspector sees his entire life flash in front of his eyes as he has what he's sure is a minor heart attack.  Instead of a funeral dirge, Minseok's imminent death is accompanied by raucous laughter, reminding him of the important facts that he is not as alone in his apartment as he usually is, and that his new flatmate-slash-fuckbuddy is an asshole.

Fear becomes rage and he whirls to deliver some sort of biting retort to his tormentor, only to realize that Chen is stark naked and just as fucking sexy as he always is (even with black velvet ears and a swishing tail), and that he actually spoke human words to Minseok for the first time since he demanded to be fed at 0430 this morning.

Rage now flavored with lust, Minseok glowers at the creature running roughshod over his tidy, predictable life.  "Well, I'm glad to hear that," he growls.  "Because I am going to stuff you full of  _so much fucking meat._ "

An answering swirl of lust licks down the link, but then it's forcibly suppressed under the seething antipathy that is the usual sensation from Minseok's hateful little familiar.  "You should eat something.  You've been sitting there all day."

Minseok raises a brow.  "Something like meat?"

The demon nods, once, definitively.

Minseok looks at the clock, wincing as he straightens his back for the first time in way too long.  It's way past lunch time, much closer to dinner, and Minseok suddenly realizes that he is once again ravenous.

"Fine."  He stands up, trying to suppress further winces, but the way the demon's scowl intensifies makes him remember that pain is transmitted down their link along with everything else.  Still, he only scowls back.  "Go put some fucking clothes on, then we'll go have all the meat you can eat."

The brief flash of triumph from the link is washed away in a rush of annoyance.  "Why did you people stop wearing hanbok?  Whoever invented skinny jeans should be taken out and shot."

Minseok sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.  "Can you wrap your tail around your waist instead?"

"It's not just the positioning, it's the holding still," the demon whines.  "It likes to at least be able to twitch, and when it can't, it feels like an itch that gets worse and worse."

Minseok draws his lower lip between his teeth as he contemplates the contents of his wardrobe, not missing the look Chen gives him or the curl of interest that probes their link.  Suddenly his angled brows climb his forehead and his lips make a happy little O as he remembers his costume from the department Halloween party several years before.  Minseok ignores the amusement filtering through the link and goes directly to the shelf in his closet that holds the box of costume paraphernalia and pulls out the black dropped-crotch pants that he wore when he dressed as Psy from his Gentleman music video.

Minseok swiftly returns to the living room.  "What about these?" He holds out the pants for the demon's inspection.

Chen tilts his head to the side, ears alert triangles as the troublesome tail lashes.  He considers for a moment, then takes the pants and pulls them on, tucking his junk and his tail inside in a way that makes Minseok feel more awkward than talking to a naked man in the middle of his living room had.  Chen just winks cheekily at Minseok's blush, then stands there shirtless, looking down at himself, his lashing tail within the pants making him look rather hentai-appropriate.

The demon dips his chin.  "Let's go," he commands.

Minseok rolls his eyes.  "How about a shirt at least, Captain Commando?"

Chen scowls, but accepts the black hooded tank top Minseok offers him and pulls it on over that gorgeous torso, ears flicking in annoyance beneath the engulfing hood.  He scowls again when Minseok nudges a pair of black leather sandals at him, figuring that would be a less intense confrontation than shoes and socks, but eventually his clothing-averse familiar has donned enough to meet minimum public decency and hygiene standards.

 

Walking down the streets of Seoul with an irate and hungry demon drives home the point that, while his familiar may begrudgingly allow Minseok to set limits on his havok, the creature absolutely radiates dominance and danger.  The seas of humanity part before him, even though Chen is far from tall and, while nicely built, is hardly Hercules.  He leads the way despite not knowing where he's going, letting Minseok trail in his wake, pushing ideas like  _left_  or  _right_  down their mental link so the beast can sweep purposefully around corners in front of Minseok like the boss he clearly is.

Minseok tries not to be too in awe of his own familiar, but the bottom line is Chen is fucking impressive in a terrifying way.  Waiting for the light to turn green is beneath this denizen of the underworld--he just walks right the fuck out into traffic, the burning darkness of his eyes promising annihilation to anything that dares impede his progress.  Brakes squeal from both directions as drivers struggle to avoid the sudden road hazard, but Chen just stops in the middle of the road, whirling back to find Minseok where he stands at the corner, mouth gaping, eyes wide.  Those inky magnets grab Minseok, then look at the pavement a few feet from the demon where the beast evidently expects Minseok to be, then sweep back up to the frozen man on the corner.

Minseok doesn't want to obey, knows he shouldn't, because giving in once is license for increasing demands.  But the traffic is alarmed and impatient and Minseok really doesn't want people to start calling his workmates because explaining that he just wanted to take his demon for a walk but failed to obey the leash laws is not a conversation he wants to have.  So he walks to join the public menace in the middle of the street, shoulders squared and chin forward for all the difference it makes--he's still obeying like he's the pet in the relationship, and it rankles.

Chen doesn't even wait for him to get all the way there, just whirls about as dramatically as if he had a cape and continues to stride purposefully across the disarrayed street.  Minseok continues to direct the demon from the rear--thankfully not through any more major intersections--until they arrive at his favorite barbecue place.  By the time Minseok catches up, Chen has already charmed the proprietor, a sweet-faced middle-aged woman, fluttering those deceptively-demure eyelashes and calling her "Noona."  

As Minseok sits down at the barbecue table across from the beast, the proprietor has already disappeared into the back to grab whatever Chen has ordered, but Minseok isn't annoyed.  He's starting to see this as a sort of consolation prize for the fiend--let him be bossy and demanding and dominant everywhere else, and maybe he won't secretly be getting off to fantasies of Minseok's murder when the human is trying to feed him.

Minseok isn't surprised when the woman comes back with the all-you-can-eat sampler plate, which has a serving of each type of meat the establishment offers with the promise of more for the asking.  However, he _is_ surprised that Chen payed close enough attention to Detective Do to do a decent job of grilling his smorgasbord.  Chen seems to enjoy playing the benevolent master, placing bits of meat on Minseok's plate with a gracious smile.  Except that the demon seems to prefer his meat rarer than Minseok is entirely comfortable with for food-safety purposes, and he shoots the human scornful looks when he slips the offerings back on his corner of the grill for a few more minutes.

But he does start separating the grilling meat into "perfectly cook for demon consumption" and "burn for frail human" sections, and Minseok isn't sure what reaction to provide in order to encourage such behavior to continue since thanks are apparently unwelcome.  Since he seems motivated entirely by one type of feeding or another, Minseok tries to just send pulses of lust down the link whenever the demon puts a properly-cooked piece of meat onto the human's plate.  

Chen catches on pretty quickly, shooting Minseok a dark grin the third or fourth time he does it.  He says nothing, but he does continue to cook meat to Minseok's liking, so Minseok figures it's at least not angering the creature he's foolishly trying to convince not to hate him.

"I don't, by the way," Chen suddenly says around a mouthful, juice running down the tiny cleft in his chin.

Minseok blinks.  "Don't what?  Need human food?"  He resists the urge to wipe the demon's face.

"Well, that either, technically, but I can get some energy from it--not enough to properly survive, but it's a nice snack."  He puts more meat on Minseok's plate.  "You though--you gotta eat more."

Minseok obediently chews and swallows.  "Okay.  I'll buy more meat."

They eat in silence for a while, then Minseok finds the courage to ask, "So, what did you mean then?  You don't...?"

"Oh."  Chen nudges the unwanted non-meat side dishes toward Minseok's half of the table.  "I don't hate you.  I hate that you won't let me fuck you, though."

Minseok sighs, playing with the kimchi with his chopsticks.  "I'm not sorry for keeping myself safe, though I am sorry it's such a problem for you."

Chen snorts.  "Do you think you're the first human I've ever fucked?  I know how not to kill you."

Minseok scoffs.  "You'll forgive me if I find that statement less than reassuring."

Chen sets his chopsticks down.  "Look--I'll agree to be gentle with your precious asshole.  I'll even go easy on the rest of your junk.  You had my cock down your throat--you know it isn't spikey.  And I can feel you in my head just like you can feel me--I'll know when something's too much for your frail little human body."

"Reassuring enough to keep me listening, but still fucking terrifying."

"Why?"

"You basically just said "I won't hurt you with my dick or make you into a eunuch, but I _am_ going to enjoy torturing the rest of you almost--but not quite--to death."

Chen flicks the inner corners of his brows up.  "I'm a demon--what else do you want from me?"

Minseok starts ticking things off on his fingers.  "Nothing deliberately humiliating--no derogative name calling, nothing to do with bodily fluids except saliva and come.  No permanent damage.  Minimal scarring--preferably none, but shit happens.  Definitely no scars--or welts or hickeys or bruises--that aren't covered when I'm dressed in a t-shirt and jeans.  I need to be able to function properly the next day--a bit sore is manageable, but I need to be able to walk, run, bend, sit, etc. without problems.  And if you irritate my skin or strain my muscles, you have to take care of that for me when you're done, because I'm not going to be capable of doing it myself.  You have to leave me clean and comfortable."

Chen shoves more meat between recurved lips, grinning around the mouthful.  "Not on the floor in a heap with a command to clean up the mess?"

Minseok winces, but his voice remains firm.  "No."

Chen is smirking at him.  "Do you want me to cuddle you afterwards, too, little princeling?"

Minseok meets his gaze.  "I wouldn't hate it," he admits, though in the same no-nonsense tone in which he'd listed his non-negotiables.

The demon's smirk becomes a grin.  "And if I agree to this list of demands, I can fuck you?"

Minseok closes his eyes, regretting all of the life choices that led to him offering himself up to a demon like the chunks of meat he continues to cram into his sinful mouth.  "Just once," he allows, against his better judgment.  "Subject to re-negotiation if I survive."

"So be it," Chen nods, grin curling so prettily as Minseok's stomach churns, their mental link on fire with lust and triumph and glee.

_What the fuck did I just do?_   Minseok tries to swallow his doubts along with more meat, suddenly desperate to pre-load his body with all the nutrition he's sure he's about to require, despite his increasing nausea.

 

Minseok resists the urge to hold his demon's hand as they walk back to his apartment, letting his mental connection to the beast reassure him that his familiar is still close by.  The difference between hungry, hateful demon and smug, satisfied feline isn't just the flip side of a coin, it's a whole different currency.  Oh, he's still plenty of danger and dominance, but now it's wrapped in rubber, and Minseok bites his tongue rather than call him to heel.  He's not really doing any harm, he's just running literal circles around Minseok, frightening old ladies and schoolkids just by being an apparently-grown man bouncing from window to window and peering into shops, disappearing from sight before returning to Minseok's side only to run off again.  Once, he disappears down an alley just to return with a terrified cat held out in front of him Lion-King-style, the poor creature's eyes wide and ears flattened as it fails to process what the fuck has snatched it from its uncomplicated feline life.

The Chief Inspector does rescue the full-time kitty from the part-time one (perhaps empathizing a bit too much with the shell-shocked expression on its furry little face), but otherwise he manages not to interfere, wondering when the last time Chen had gotten to frolic among the unsuspecting humans actually was--if Junmyeon had neglected to feed his demon properly, perhaps he hadn't gotten much exercise, either.  Minseok still has very little idea how to provide for his unanticipated pet, but the line of thought does have him stopping in front of a mega-mart store and waiting for his hyperactive hellspawn to find him again.

When he does, Minseok gestures to the shop.  "Do you need or want anything that we don't already have at home?" he asks, which is apparently an invitation for the demon to run amok inside the store instead of on the street.

Minseok patiently pushes the shopping cart up and down the aisles, occasionally questioning the things Chen tosses inside.  It's not that he's unwilling to buy whatever the demon decides he wants, but so far the most information he's gotten out of Chen is when they're arguing or when the beast wants something, and the Chief Inspector is determined to gather as much knowledge as possible about the creature sharing his life.

So when Chen chucks two more cat beds and a scratching post into the cart, Minseok frowns.  "Planning to spend a lot of time as a cat, I see," he grumbles.

"You're grumpy, but you should be grateful--cats are small and sleep a lot, which consumes very little energy, which means I'll recover from starvation faster, and then I can go easier on my delicate little prince."

Minseok rolls his eyes, resigned to the nickname, then grimaces at a sudden thought.  "Does this mean you're actually going to make me scoop your shit out of a box?"

A wicked grin.  "Would you rather it be in the middle of your floor?"

Minseok scrunches his entire face in disgust.  "Can't you just use a toilet like a civilized creature?"

"You want me to try to fit all four paws on a narrow, slippery toilet seat while squatting?  Do you think cats enjoy sudden swims?"  Chen tilts his whole torso sideways with a mocking grin.

Minseok scowls.  "I think cats enjoy forcing humans into unpleasant tasks."

"You're not wrong!" Chen sing-songs as he scampers away.

When the beast returns with an armload of beef jerky, Minseok is holding up a pink donut-style child's potty seat that's made to fit over a standard toilet, adding cushy padding and narrowing the opening to a size that a toddler--or a cat--is less likely to slip through.

Chen's eyes crinkle at the corners.  "Hello Kitty?  Really?"  

Minseok shrugs.  "They were out of 'Hello Demon.'"

Chen snorts.  "Fine, my squeamish little prince--I will sit on Hello Kitty's face if it turns you on so much."

Minseok squints judgmentally at the demon, but the fiend just laughs and disappears to grab the next thing on his list.

Which turns out to be toiletries--but not for the demon.  "You use these now," the demon informs the human, dumping a suite of products into the cart. 

Minseok picks up a bottle.  "Rosemary and mint?  Should I be concerned that you're literally seasoning me?"

Chen shrugs.  "I am eating you--the least you can do is smell appetizing."

Minseok scowls.  "You said I was fucking scrumptious," he protests, then immediately chides himself for being defensive about how he tastes, as if it's something he cares about.

"You are.  But you smell all citrusy and gross.  Cats hate citrus."

Minseok huffs.  "Fine, but then you have to smell like something I like."

Chen shrugs again.  "Whatever, little prince--no citrus though!"

Minseok takes his time sniffing his way through the toiletry aisle as Chen continues to throw seemingly random shit into the shopping cart.  He eventually decides on something aggressively spicy that seems to suit his forceful little demon, adding a bottle of 3-in-1 shampoo/conditioner/bodywash to the cart, figuring that should be simple enough for someone who licks his own asshole to figure out how to use.

According to the contents of the cart, cats apparently also like dried fish, cheese, and--is that an oversized skein of yarn?  Minseok leans in to examine it, discovering another skein below it as well as several packages of bamboo clothespins.  He picks up the clothespins in concern just as Chen comes scampering by with a package of baby wipes.

In response to Minseok's raised brow, the demon grins wickedly.  "Oh yeah, you're definitely in for it--but look, I'm totally ready to wipe your royal ass afterwards!" 

He flings the wipes at Minseok, who drops the clothespins into the cart in order to catch the missile.  He looks at the package--his demon evidently thinks he needs Disney-princess-themed wipes with aloe for extra-sensitive skin.  Sighing a bit at the mess he's gotten himself into, he tries to comfort himself with the fact that the demon does seem to be following through on his end of things, even if a bit mockingly.

But a few minutes later, it's Minseok that's adding things sheepishly to the cart, almost hoping Chen doesn't notice (but of course he does).  The demon deposits a bottle of anti-redness aftershave lotion and a tub of men's heath supplements into the cart, then holds up the slippery fabric along with an eyebrow.

"They're house robes--they're slit in the back all the way up to the hip, so your tail should be able to do its thing but you won't have to be naked."  Chen lifts the other eyebrow, and Minseok feels foolish for trying to guess what the demon might want.  "Ah, what was I thinking--you probably like being naked, and you'll just be a cat whenever we aren't fucking anyway."  

Minseok moves to return the elegantly-patterned silk robes to the shelf, but Chen reclaims them and firmly puts them back in the cart.  Some sort of sensation flickers across their link but it's quickly swallowed up by lust and anticipation as the demon scampers off yet again.

 

Chen can't run around quite as much with a scratching post slung over his shoulder and a pair of cat beds tucked under his other arm, but he still somehow manages to give off a predatory vibe despite his feline accoutrements.  At least the demon either has similar taste to Minseok or he's attempting to match the human's decor, because he's chosen a modern sisal scratching post rather than a carpeted monstrosity, and the beds are rectangular bolsters, one in cream and chocolate that would blend nicely with the neutral tones in his living room, while the other has navy in place of chocolate which makes Minseok imagine his pet has plans to supervise him in his study.

Minseok is weighed down by the rest of their shopping, multiple bags hanging from each hand, still blushing slightly from the embarrassing check-out process.  Of course Chen had chosen to pile their sundry goods on the conveyor belt operated by a fresh-faced young woman, and the combination of her seeming innocence and Chen's salacious charms as she rang up the household objects the demon intends to torment him with (and a ridiculous amount of protein-based snacks) was hard for the Chief Inspector to watch with nonchalance.

The security staff in Minseok's building gives Chen a questioning look, but at least the obvious feline accessories detract from the vaguely-thuggish outfit he's wearing, and Minseok decide's now's as good a time as any to officially add his flatmate (and his cat) to his apartment's register.  He stops at the security desk, smiling at his favorite agent, a tall, thin man with a ready smile of his own.

"This is my new flatmate--Chen, come let them take your picture so they know you belong here."

Chen obeys, giving his best sweetly-serifed smile that the agent easily returns.

"And he brought his cat with him--he's little and black, I'll get you a photo."

"We need rabies vaccine information, and a microchip number if he has one--it's strongly recommended."

Minseok grins, relishing the indignation filtering down the link.  "Ah, I think he's just due for his shot, actually.  We'll stop by with paperwork as soon as possible."

Chen's sweet smile disappears as soon as the elevator doors shut, and Minseok enjoys the reverse deja-vu.

"If you think you're cramming me into that cage and taking me to get a jab in the ass, you can think again."

Minseok smirks.  "Oh, so you can dish it out but you can't take it, huh?"

"It's not a matter of pain, it's a matter of dignity--plus I can't actually get rabies."

"Well, I can't actually falsify paperwork, so you're gonna suck it up."  A thought strikes him.  "If I have them microchip you as a cat, will you still be chipped in your other forms?  Or will it get ejected when you shift?  Or maybe when you feed?"

"I don't fucking know--nobody else has been dumb enough to try to microchip me!  I'm a fucking demon!"  Chen strides through the elevator doors as soon as they slide open on the ninth floor.

Minseok follows, chuckling.  "But now you're my demon, and if you get lost, I need to be able to claim you at the demon pound."

Chen shoots him a dirty look.  "You know I can't get lost."

"Too bad for me," Minseok says, punching in his code.

"You just said you'd claim me at the pound."

"Only so you wouldn't ruin some other poor unsuspecting fool's life."  The Chief Inspector rests his thumb against the sensor, and the door clicks open.

Chen steps inside, setting down his burdens.  "You really think I'm ruining your life?"

Minseok shuts the door with his hip and heads to the kitchen.  "I am carrying a bag full of clothespins and rope that I am sure you are not planning to do laundry with."

A predatory grin as Chen bounds over to claim said bag.  "Oh, I am going to take you apart, my little princeling.  And you are going to fucking love it."

Minseok opens the pantry.  "I'm sure _you're_ going to fucking love it--I doubt I am."  He starts pulling the snacks from the shopping bags and adding them neatly to the shelves.

Chen's voice drifts from the living room.  "Honeybuns, I am a fucking incubus.  I could literally eviscerate you and still make you come."

"The fuck?  Please don't tell me you've actually done that to someone," Minseok calls.

"Okay!" comes the cheery response, and Minseok fights to resist braining himself on the pantry door as he closes it.

When Minseok steps back into the living room, Chen has shed his clothing like a snake sheds skin, leaving the rejected fabric in puddles on the floor.  He's also set the scratching post up near the window and has situated one of the cat beds under the glass coffee table.  On top of the coffee table, Chen has the clotheslines and clothespins spread out, and he seems to be doing some sort of evil macrame with them.  He smiles menacingly at Minseok as he passes through the living room, picking up the discarded clothing on his way to the half-bath that he'd attempted to contain the bane of his existence in.  He cleans up the thankfully-unused litter box and installs the pink potty seat securely in place, hoping his demon cat remembers to flush.

Minseok continues down the hall, tossing Chen's clothes in the hamper before swapping his apparently-unacceptable toiletries with the new demon-approved versions, surprised that Chen had remembered exactly what types of products the human uses from the one time he was in this bathroom.  He also adds the bottle of what he's started to think of as demon scrub to the rack in the shower, still not entirely sure the creature would ever use it.  He tries to remember if he'd had any impression of the creature's hygiene during their previous encounters, but he only vaguely remembers the first one and the second one involved so little body contact that he doesn't really know what the beast smells like.

His gut sinks as he remembers what's in store for him tonight, and he vaguely wonders if he should take matters into his own hands and just prep himself while he's in the en-suite.  It's not like he's never bottomed, and Chen certainly seems experienced and has agreed to his terms, but he's still more than a little uneasy about the whole situation.  But Chen has been in a rather bubbly mood since Minseok had agreed to his own desecration, and the only sensations he's gotten down the link are things like anticipation with a hint of schadenfreude and sadistic glee, which, while still alarming, are at least a change from the malice and hatred and rage that had been throbbing in the back of his head like a migraine before their little outing.

He sighs, unsure as to when the demon will demand his feeding and therefore unsure what to do with himself until then.  But then he berates himself for basing his schedule around a narcissist's whims and decides to do what he'd normally do if Chen weren't devising home-made torture devices in his living room:  More paperwork (a different sort of torture, but at least he gets paid in actual currency for enduring it).

He does find the blue cat bed leaning against his study door, so he picks it up before pressing his fingers to the print scanners and pushing the door open.  He looks around the room for a suitable spot to place the bed.  He's never owned a cat, but he's been in many people's homes during his career, and cat owners seem to think cats like windows, and one of Minseok's bookshelves ends right below the one in the study.  He clears off the framed photos from various company parties that currently occupy the smooth cherry surface, redistributing them to other shelves to make a spot to nestle the bed against the glass, angled so the occupant could also have a clear imperious view of the desk if he so chose.

Probably-futile demon-pleasing efforts completed, the Chief Inspector settles himself at his desk and tries to concentrate on his work rather than his personal life, finding peace in the solid procedures and organized files.  Even though the paperwork can be tedious and is certainly repetitive, he's generally in a good mood while doing it, because every verified-correct procedure just makes him proud and happy to have such a good team, and it's incredibly satisfying to put the final CLOSED stamp on the front of the case file when everything checks out properly.

So he's humming to himself as he works, one of the funky American soul songs that Detective Do likes, and is startled for the second time that day when a powerful voice adds the lyrics to his tune.

He turns to the open doorway where Chen is lounging, tangles of rope and clothespins draped over his shoulder, crooning the falsetto chorus perfectly.  The demon's bottomless eyes are closed and the inner corners of his eyebrows are quirked up as that sinfully-serifed mouth forms what Minseok assumes are the correct English words in a way that almost makes the creature look soft and sweet.  

He opens those captivating eyes and smirks at Minseok as the chorus ends, and the Chief Inspector manages to find his own voice.

"You sing like an--" He cuts himself off.

Chen snorts.  "Like an angel?  We were the same once, you know."

_But not at all the same anymore._   "How do you know American pop lyrics?  Do you actually speak English?"

Chen's black velvety ears flick forward.  "Junmyeon liked that group a lot--he played their stuff all the time.  But while I do want to taste your sugar, I much prefer the one that goes, 'Baby, I'm preying on you tonight, hunt you down, eat you alive...'"  Chen sings more English words to a tune Minseok isn't familiar with, something high-pitched and undulating, reminding him vaguely of a police siren. 

Minseok knows enough English to pick out the 'eat you alive' bit, so he narrows his eyes at the beast.  "I better still be alive when you're done eating me," he glowers, making the demon grin wider.

"You will be, my grumpy little dumpling.  You know I need your fragile human ass in good working condition.  It's not in my best interest to damage you to the point where you can't feed me."

Minseok scowls.  "You know just what to say to reassure a guy, don't you?"

Chen laughs.  "You're not really afraid, you're just resentful and offended."

_Stupid emotional link_.  "Is there a way to do this where neither of us is resentful and offended?"

Chen shrugs.  "Probably not."

Minseok sighs, reminding himself that it's just the once, Chen won't kill him, Chen needs him alive, and he'll wake up in the morning more or less perfectly fine.  "Let's get it over with."

"Shower first," the demon demands.  "I'm not cuddling a grapefruit."

Minseok tilts his head.  "Won't I need to shower afterward?"

"You won't be able to move afterward, and you said I had to clean you anyway."

Minseok presses his lips together, then stalks towards the creature trying to run his life.  Chen tilts his own head in inquiry, but doesn't flinch or even move (except that twitching tail) as Minseok crowds the naked demon against the doorframe, inhaling deeply.  His skin smells a bit like the fabric softener Minseok uses, a bit like sweat (Minseok supposes he was running around an awful lot), but mostly there's an underlying earthyness, not exactly unpleasant but not very arousing either.

"Shower with me," Minseok commands.  "And brush your teeth if you think you're going to kiss me."

A chuckle.  "I'm pretty sure you're the danger-twink catboy, with your sass and kitty eyes and fastidious grooming habits."

"Fuck off."

 

Showering with Chen is an oddly companionable experience.  Minseok does have fastidious grooming habits and a sometimes gory job, and even though he rarely has to be hands-on with the gore like poor Father Zhang, he still sometimes feels like he needs to scrub his soul clean after a particularly disturbing scene.  So he does have an upgraded bathroom, with an oversized white porcelain tub beneath twin chrome shower heads, one of which converts to a massaging unit that can even be hand-held.  But with someone else in the shower with him, the main benefit of the dual fixtures is that each of them can luxuriate under their own spray.  

Chen's ears become horns and his tail loses its fur under the water's onslaught, but it turns out demons enjoy showers--really _hot_ showers, making Minseok again glad for the separate shower heads so he doesn't have to parboil along with his familiar.  He tries his best to relax under his own warm cascade, shampooing his hair with his eyes shut.  The rosemary and mint smells more botanical than culinary, and Chen makes a little hum of approval as the scent permeates the steamy air.  Again, Minseok is surprised by a touch on his midsection, but he manages not to flinch quite so violently this time at least.  Chen scrubs Minseok's body with similarly-herbal mint-scented body wash, almost purring as he works, and the human tries to banish the thought that the demon is actually basting him.

Chen of course lingers over Minseok's most sensitive bits, making the human hold his breath until his manhood is released unharmed. 

The demon snorts.  "I'm hardly gonna damage the part of you I need the most, my distrustful little muffin."

Minseok doesn't open his eyes, but he does curl his lip at the handsy familiar.

When Minseok is clean, Chen commands him to set the shower head to the pulsing massage setting and let it fall on his back while the demon washes himself.  Minseok complies, because he is a bit sore from doing paperwork at the coffee table for so long instead of at his ergonomic desk, just because he wanted to hang out near his hateful little cat.  But now his hateful little cat is apparently less hateful, and evidently intends to join him in his office--and maybe Minseok should have chosen a less arousing scent of demon scrub because watching a beautiful man run his hands all over his gorgeous body while a sinfully-spicy scent invades his nostrils is doing very physical things to the Chief Inspector's own body.

Which of course only adds to the demon's smugness as he massages soap over his dark leathery tail.  "So you don't get excited when I touch you, but you do when I touch myself?"

Minseok knows he's blushing, but he scowls anyway.  "You know how hot you are.  I'm sure you're hot on purpose."

Chen shrugs.  "I guess.  It makes things that much easier, and the less energy I have to expend, the less I have to feed."

Minseok tilts his head, letting the spray pulse on his neck.  "So you're choosing to look like that?" 

Chen rinses himself under the scalding-hot water.  "Not consciously.  This is sorta the default, I guess--except I'm supposed to have wings."  He looks over his shoulder with a frown.

Even when his familiar is seemingly giving him straight answers, everything he says just raises more questions.  Out of the dozen swirling in his head, Minseok settles on, "Why don't you have wings?"

Chen turns both shower heads off.  "Junmyeon specifically bound me as a cat, and cats don't have wings."

"Oh."  Minseok accepts the towel the demon hands him.   Again questions fight to emerge from his lips first.  "Why did he do that?"

"Because he was an asshole, among other things," the demon answers, then looks Minseok's nude body up and down.  "But less asking, more feeding," he chides, rubbing a towel over Minseok's hair for him in an obvious attempt to hurry the process.

Once Minseok has hung both their towels up to dry, he turns around, waiting for whatever will happen next.

Chen steps closer, leaning in to inhale the scent of Minseok's neck.  "Mmm, much better, my little morsel."  He lifts his face and leans in for a kiss, but Minseok turns his own face away.

The demon pulls back, lifting a brow.  "You'll hate this less if you let me kiss you."

"I don't like you messing with my head."

Chen rolls his eyes.  "We're already linked--it won't affect your mind.  It'll just make you more aroused."

"Does it have to?  I mean, could you kiss me without the GHB?"

Chen tilts his head.  "Uh, in theory?  But I've never done it that way.  I mean, why else would I kiss you?"

_Why indeed._   Minseok presses his lips together at the reminder that this is strictly a business transaction.  "Fine.  Do what you need to do."

But Chen presses his lips together, too, then licks them repeatedly.  "The venom should mostly be gone now," he says, then leans in again.

This time, Minseok tries not to flinch as Chen presses warm, moist lips against his, moving them skillfully, hungrily, aggressively, and Minseok lets himself respond.  His lips tingle only slightly, and Chen proves to be quite good at riling Minseok up even without the chemical help.  Minseok allows the demon to lead, opening his mouth when prompted, letting the demon's tongue dance against his own.  

It would be almost like kissing someone he's dating, except it isn't, and Minseok isn't sure what to do with his hands because he has no idea if his touch would be welcomed, and this is supposed to be Chen's show to run.  So he just stands there, hands at his sides, letting the demon plunder his mouth, letting his eyes flutter closed, letting Chen nuzzle his head back and lip his way down his throat.

It's weird, and Minseok has never felt more awkward in his life.  He kind of wishes Chen would just skip to the pain-and-pounding part, because he'll at least know how to feel when that's happening.  This surprisingly-sensual warmup is much more agonizing to withstand, the demon's artificial love just dumping salt in the tender wound of being stuck with this and only this for the rest of his miserable life.

But of course it's impossible to feel anything anymore without Chen being aware, and midway through sucking a hickey over Minseok's collarbone (which prompts a wave of frustration that this heartless creature could claim him, but nobody that actually cared about him ever would), the demon stops, raising his brow questioningly.  

"It's covered by a shirt," the demon reminds him, and Minseok is grateful that the demon can only tell  _what_  he's feeling, and is still in the dark as to  _why_.

"It's fine," Minseok says.  "Keep going if you want."

The demon does want, sucking burgundy bruises all across Minseok's chest, which he obligingly flexes and displays for his devourer.  Minseok sends most of himself away, letting his body respond on autopilot, trying to make the appropriate reactions and noises and expressions to please the feeding fiend without thinking too much about what he's doing and what he's doing it with.

And it works, sort of, though he can feel Chen's vague confusion and dissatisfaction through their link, though it's still accompanied by plenty of lust and triumph and glee.  Right up until the demon _picks him up_  with one arm around his torso and the other around one inner thigh, tilting Minseok's startled body on the diagonal and easily moving him to the kitchen.

Minseok yelps as he's lifted, hooking an arm around the demon's neck on reflex, earning a pleased chuckle from his manhandler.

"Ah, there you are," he greets, setting Minseok down at the end of the kitchen counter.

Minseok frowns, because he generally disapproves of kitchen nudity, not to mention kitchen sex, but the granite counters will be easy enough to bleach the fuck out of afterwards.  If the demon isn't going to fuck him in a bed like the civilized creature he isn't, Minseok supposes this is a better alternative than the floor again.

So he doesn't protest when Chen bends him over the counter and arranges his arms to bracket his head, and he bites his tongue when the fiend begins applying clothespins to his skin, even though each additional pinch is more irritating than the last.  The demon sings more of that American pop song about eating someone alive while he clips what feels like all the clothespins in the entire world side-by-side in a line running from Minseok's triceps along his shoulder blade and down the edge of his back, continuing along his hip and then down the back of his leg all the way to his ankle.

The Chief Inspector isn't generally one to bow before pain, and he manages not to make much in the way of noise as the demon scribes a line of lightning from one end of him to the other.  But when the happy little sadist moves to Minseok's other tricep, he know's he's beaten.

"You can drug me now if you want," he says in a surprisingly steady, neutral voice.

But Chen just grins down at him.  "Nah, I think you can take it.  You're unhappy and uncomfortable and really fucking annoyed, and you're definitely in pain, but it's far from the maximum you can handle--I can feel you, remember?"

"I should have been a gardener.  I'd plant nice flowers and shrubs and trees all day long, and I'd never, ever, ever pick up strange cats in stranger places."

Chen cackles.  "Way too late now, my steaming little bun.  I don't need the venom to make you come harder than you ever have in your life."

"Have you considered vegetarianism?"

More laughter.  "What, you want me to fuck an especially-shapely daikon or something?  It's not my fault I need sex to live--and really, compared with how other demons feed, this is practically fucking vegan, my little organic gluten-free cupcake."

Minseok closes his eyes again, reminding himself that this won't last forever, soon enough he's going to be clean and comfortable in his own bed, though he may just punch the demon in the dick if he tries to share the bed with him, much less cuddle.  He takes slow, deep breaths, counting repeatedly to one hundred in his head, just trying to endure the fresh hell of the second line of clothespins long enough for it to dull to background noise like the one already in place.

The demon continues to sing, versatile voice bouncing from the tile and laminate, and somewhere between the numbers Minseok is lining up in his head he recognizes that the creature really is rather capable.  Probably at least as good as Detective Do, though the demon is bright and brassy where the detective is smooth and smokey.  And, of course, the detective tends to sing about love or longing or personal triumph, not about eating people.  Minseok is going to make appropriate song topics a new requirement for any further police consultants.

He's so deep in his dissociation that he's surprised to feel wet warmth against his asshole, flinching against the countertop which of course just makes both tingling lines jolt him with fresh reminders of their presence.  Minseok inhales around a hiss, feeling a warm puff of air between his cheeks as Chen giggles in response, which clues him in to the fact that the demon is doing his best to stuff his tongue inside Minseok.

Well, at least he's established that he has no reason to kiss the other end of Minseok's digestive tract again.  And it is an effective distraction from the steady smoldering running in parallel down his entire body.  Though whenever Minseok relaxes into the demon's efforts, the creature likes to flick a random clothespin, setting off local fires once again.  But the demon is skilled with his tongue and Minseok's completely forgotten cock makes itself known once again, hardening against the side of the cabinetry against which it is pressed.

Especially when the demon introduces a finger, then a second, and starts playing with Minseok's prostate--he definitely knows what he's doing in that department.  Minseok can't help but moan and try not to buck his hips against the edge of the counter, because every minute change in his position makes the clothespins remember they're supposed to be hurting him.

Pride and delight are flowing through the link, as evidently the demon is enjoying manipulating the human's body to provide himself with copious nourishment.  Minseok tries to shoot resentment and promises of retaliation across the link, but he can't focus on anything other than the twin lines of lightning down his body that are bracketing his electrified prostate.  

And then, Chen teaches Minseok the absolute worst thing about their mental link by bringing him perfectly to the edge of orgasm and then cutting him off, and Minseok does his best to force the scream of frustration down the link instead of letting it out of his mouth.  Chen just cackles evilly, waits for the sensations of pleasure to melt completely away, then starts ramping Minseok up again, and the Chief Inspector tries to brace himself for this to take all fucking night.

When Chen stops him from climaxing for the fifth time, Minseok starts composing his own obituary in his head.  He feels it's important to mention all the good and wholesome things he's done, listing out all the cases he's solved and all the lives he's saved before concluding with "found dead bent over his own kitchen counter, wearing rows of clothespins from elbow to ankle like the weirdest dinosaur ever, covered in demon jizz.  Sure, he didn't _seem_  like a degenerate freak, but it's always the quiet ones, isn't it?"

Even his internal monologue is mocking Minseok now, and if that fucking demon edges him one more time, he is going to find out for real if he's capable of injuring the creature.  The drawer of knives is right underneath the counter he's laying on, he could brave the clothespins and grab one--

But then all he can do is moan as the demon finally decides to stick his cock in Minseok's ass.  The moans quickly turn to hisses and curses as the movement of the demon's thrusts cause Minseok's bamboo body frills to ripple like flames over his skin as he's pounded up against the counter.

"I. Hate. You. So. Fuck. Ing. Much," Minseok rasps in rhythm with his annihilation, only to have the demon answer him with more gleeful laughter.

"But you look so yummy all pinned out for me, my sweet little dumpling."

"I. Hope. You. Choke. On. Me."

More laughter, then the demon cants his hips, railing Minseok directly in that so-sensitive gland with powerful, unrelenting strokes.  The poor Chief Inspector just gasps and pants wordlessly as his body is wrenched between pain and pleasure.  A sense of relief fills him as he can sense Chen approaching his climax, and he tries to soothe his fraying nerves with the thought that this must end soon, but Chen holds himself off, continuing to abuse Minseok's prostate until the human is emitting an undulating wail.  He's so close,  _so fucking close_ , fuck he needs to come before he explodes, just a little more, yes yes yes--

Chen pins Minseok against the counter with one last thrust, _finally_ sending him over the edge--then the demon rips him right the fuck open, claws simultaneously tearing from ankles and elbows towards his waist.

Minseok screams.

He screams in rhythm with his orgasm, short, desperate cries of agonized ecstasy as he repeatedly and thoroughly defiles the side of his counter.  He's on fire, he's flayed open to the core, he's glowing white hot and he regrets every grain of trust he ever _stupidly_ placed in the creature that just killed him.

"Fuck you," Minseok sobs.  "Fuck you _so fucking much_."

Chen is panting and shuddering and laughing through his own release, their link lit up with pleasure and mirth and giddy satisfaction.  

Minseok has given up.  He's always considered himself stalwart, stoic, durable under stress, but it was all an illusion.  The real Minseok is a puddle of overloaded, short-circuiting nerve endings that has given up on dignity, given up on silence, given up on life as he whimpers pathetically and waits to die.

He barely feels Chen clean him up, he chews and swallows mechanically between sobs when strips of jerky are pressed against his lips, but he sucks and swallows desperately at the offered straw, whining when the flow of sweet apple juice ends and sighing with relief when it's replaced, even if water is less soothing to his shattered throat.

He doesn't protest when he's peeled from the counter and hiked over a shoulder, vaguely relieved that someone is hauling his corpse away so it won't stink up his nice tidy apartment.  But when he realizes he's being taken to the bedroom, he feebly attempts to struggle.

"Not the bed," he rasps.  "The blood..."

"You're not bleeding," someone assures him.

Of course he's bleeding.  "My skin," he whispers.

"You're fine." 

He's laid on the bed, then rolled onto his stomach.  Something cooling is smoothed over his arms and sides and legs, then the coverlet is flicked up over his shoulders.  Silence and stillness descend, and he's almost unconscious when the other side of the bed dips.  The sheets rustle, then one of Minseok's arms is draped over something warm and firm.

"This counts, right?  You probably don't want anything heavy across your back at the moment."

Minseok can only whimper, but that must have sufficed, because he gets a hum in response before the smooth warmth tucks itself more securely beneath his arm.  Whatever it is rises and falls evenly and smoothly, and eventually Minseok's chest is able to rise and fall in the same rhythm.  

"Uh... That was... That was good.  I, uh... I can't remember the last time I fed that well."

Something weird is filtering down the link, but it's not unpleasant, so Minseok presses his face against spicy-scented skin, working to make his vocal cords function as nature intended.

"Still hate you."

He knows the link has betrayed his lie by the gentle chuckle he gets in response.


	5. Hissing Purrsons

Chief Inspector Kim Minseok is usually woken by his alarm clock (set to play an obnoxiously-cheerful little tune) or by his phone (set to play an un-ignorably jarring tone), but this is the first time he's been woken by small but repeated punches to his kidney, accompanied by an endless thin wail.

_Why_.  

It's really the main question in his mind right now.  Why is kitty-Chen sitting on his ass, poking his back with his tiny little kitty paws?  Why is he not still-obnoxious-but-at-least-pretty-to-look-at man-shaped Chen, in bed next to him?  Why is the demon waking him up at all?  Why isn't Minseok waking up dead after Chen viciously ripped all the skin off his back?  And why the fucking fuck did he let Chen do that to him in the first place?

Minseok takes inventory of his various body parts.  His back feels fine, but then again, he hasn't moved yet.  His asshole is definitely reminding him there was a dick in it last night, but not alarmingly so.  His prostate is a bit achy.  But really, the worst pain is the hipbone the yowling cat's weight is pressing against the bed--he wouldn't be surprised if he had bruises from being rammed into the edge of the counter.

But he's alive, and Chen met all of Minseok's self-protective requirements, though that certainly didn't stop him from extracting his nourishment via violence and cruelty.  He at least took decent care of his victim-slash-food-source afterward--he'd made Minseok have a snack and rehydrate, which is probably why he's not ravenous like he was yesterday when he woke up.

And yesterday, Chen had made him breakfast--is that why the cat is screaming at him?  Minseok sniffs the air.  Sure enough, buttery breakfast smells are filtering into the bedroom.

As soon as understanding dawns in the Chief Inspector's mind, the cat halts its noise mid-yell and hops off Minseok's abused flesh.  The demon-dar in his head pings with the information that the familiar is moving down the hall toward the living room, and despite the newly-acquired beds, Minseok would bet cash that the beast would be lurking under the sofa again shortly.

He sighs, then mentally girds his loins and gets up.  He makes his way to the bathroom to begin his morning routine, pausing to twist around and try to see his bare back in the wide mirror that dominates the wall above the twin sinks.  To his astonishment, for all of that agony, there are very few signs it ever happened--just twin lines of little parallel marks marching down his body--which makes him feel like either he made a much bigger deal about it than it had actually deserved, or the demon is frighteningly skilled in inflicting pain without damaging his cattle too severely.  

Facing the mirror once again as he brushes his teeth, he narrows his eyes at the colorful demon bites across his chest, but they are well below his collar line, unlike the one on his neck that he'll be painting with concealer for at least another week.  His hipbones are indeed bruised, but that was incidental rather than intentional, so overall he has no reason to complain--but he still really wants to.

In fact, he almost wants to cry.  He has never in his life felt so coldly used.

He spits foam into the sink, then scowls at himself.  What the fuck did he expect, exactly?  He let a demon fuck him.  A gorgeous, golden-voiced demon, but the keyword is still _demon_.  He follows the rules Minseok sets, because for some reason, it seems like he  _has_  to.  He doesn't care about Minseok.  He probably isn't even capable of doing so.  

Minseok decides he has two options.  He can pretend that the caretaking is actually affection rather than livestock management, and mislead himself into the idea that he has an amicable relationship with the creature using him for his body.  It has a certain appeal--Chen is beautiful in just the sort of sharp, edgy way that Minseok really appreciates, and he's capable of behaving charmingly when it suits him (or he's ordered to).  He could be a very acceptable boyfriend substitute, especially if Minseok could somehow make him play along.  It would probably annoy the demon to have Minseok behaving affectionately towards him, which might be amusing--but their link would of course give away that any reciprocal affection was an act, which would of course shatter the illusion.

So Minseok decides to go with the second option:  Be an insufferable asshole to the beast, so that he can soothe his ego with the fact that the demon doesn't care about Minseok because Minseok has given him no reason to.  It's still an illusion--that Minseok is at all in control of their relationship--but it's easier for Minseok to buy into, and harder for their link to expose.  And it's really his only option, because the truth--that the stoic, independent Chief Inspector would like nothing more than for the demon to be at all interested in him outside of their contract-required interactions--is too fucking pathetic to acknowledge.

So the scowl is still firmly in place as the fully-dressed Chief Inspector--once again in possession of a proper jacket for his uniform--strides into the kitchen to consume the breakfast his self-serving familiar has prepared him.  It's just as tasty as yesterday's, but he doesn't thank the beast or even acknowledge his presence (under the sofa as predicted).  Instead, he gathers the things he needs for work from his study and has yet another minor heart attack (seriously he's too fucking young for this) when a fully-human Chen is waiting silently by the door, dressed in slacks and a button-down that Minseok knows were swiped from his closet, not a feline ear or a demonic horn in sight.

But the Chief Inspector says nothing, merely blinks an extra time, then grabs the rest of what he needs and opens the door, holding it for his familiar and apparently constant work companion to exit the apartment ahead of him before ensuring the locks are engaged securely.  The elevator ride is similarly silent, though Minseok can feel little probes down their link.  Still, neither breaches the silence throughout the journey to the station.

 

As soon as Minseok pulls open the heavy brass-plated station door and strides into the bustling lobby, demon at his heels, he's greeted by a sober-faced Detective Do.

"Chief.  I was just going to call you.  We've got some kids missing on their way to school this morning--a witness reports them being forced into an unmarked transit van."

Minseok's heart sinks, all thoughts of the demon drifting at his shoulder squelched along with any semblance of a good mood.  Not kids--he  _hates_  when it's kids.  The number of times that it ends well is infinitesimally small compared to the number of times it ends horrifically, and Minseok inevitably has nightmares for weeks afterwards about sobbing parents screaming with grief and rage.

"Fuck," is all he says, but his detective's single sharp nod indicates complete understanding.  "License plate?  Description?  Anything?"

"Generic white panel van, manufacturer badges removed, license plate stolen from an impound lot, kidnapper was average height and build, wearing a hood and surgical mask, witnesses say he just popped out from the back of the van, grabbed all three girls at once around the middle from behind, and hauled them kicking and screaming into the vehicle, which promptly drove off."

"Fuck," Minseok says again, because stranger abductions  _never_  end well.  Even if they find the girls alive, they'll have been through unspeakable trauma.

"Fuck," the detective agrees.  "We have all bodies available combing the area, highway patrol is alerted, citizen text alerts have been sent, everything we can as per protocol."

"Fuuuuuuck," Minseok sighs, running his fingers through his hair for the first of what will surely be thousands of times that day.  "The parents?"

"With Byun in Interview Three."

Minseok nods.  "I'll go assure them we'll leave no stone unturned--make sure I'm not lying to them, Do."

"Of course, Chief," the detective salutes, and they part ways at the corridor that leads to the interview rooms.

Interview Three is the largest of the rooms and the most comfortable, generally used with sensitive witnesses or when they have to break bad news and can't do it in a more comforting setting.  There isn't even a two-way window, just an unobtrusive camera, and the monitor outside the room shows the distraught parents being managed by Detective Byun, a man whose sweet face belies his often-mischievous personality.  At least the man knows how to use that face to good effect, as shown by the non-committal but soothing words coming through the monitor's speaker as he holds one of the women's hands.

As much as they'd like to say it, and as much as loved ones would like to hear it, cops know better than to declare they'll find the kids or even the people who interrupted their beautiful young lives.  Instead, they're limited to things like "We're doing everything we can," or in the Chief Inspector's case, "I'll personally oversee..." and he takes a deep breath as he prepares to deliver his platitudes, knowing they're not enough and yet the only thing he can offer.

He goes to open the door but stops when he realizes Chen is still at his elbow.  "No way.  Uh-uh.  You say right the fuck here."

"I can help--"

"No.  These are actual humans with actual feelings, things that you know nothing about, and I'm not letting you fuck with them, contract or no.  Just stay--I'll only be a moment."

Chen scowls, and their link flashes with something like hurt before dulling to the animosity that Minseok only now realizes was missing because of its sudden reappearance.  But he doesn't have time or patience for moody demons today, so he pushes the demon's feelings and his own out of his head so he can be appropriately sympathetic while putting forth his face for these people to blame when this case inevitably goes to shit.  If they hate him for not finding their kids, they maybe won't hate themselves as much.

So he knocks and goes in and bows and soberly and truthfully informs them that he is personally overseeing the officers and detectives while they do everything they can, and they thank him and bows are repeatedly exchanged before he leaves them once again in Detective Byun's capable hands, resolving to make sure a bottle of the man's favorite brand of soju is waiting for him at his desk.  It's the worst kind of draining to sit with parents who refuse to leave until their child is found or they give up on finding the child, and he fervently hopes they all have other, unharmed children at home because it's too common for parents--especially mothers--of only children to give up their own lives if the life of that child is lost.

Chen is waiting right where Minseok left him like the good little familiar he has evidently decided to pretend to be today, which both relieves and irritates Minseok.  Everything positive about the beast is elaborately contrived, and Minseok fucking hates it.  So he just jerks his head for the creature to follow him as he heads to his office, gesturing again for his familiar to sit on the worn green sofa upon which the Chief Inspector has spent too many nights collapsed in exhaustion after trying to work for days on end--a trend that is likely about to resume until the kids are found or the parents give up.

Not that Minseok himself would ever give up, not completely.  He has all the still-open missing children's files in the cabinets behind him, and every year he takes them out and reviews them, checking for any new information in the updated databases, combing them one more time to see if there's another avenue of inquiry, any possible thing they may have missed.  He knows they're beyond saving, but he still wants to find them, or what's left of them, and whatever scumbag decided a bright and promising life was theirs to end.

And now he's likely going to have three more names to add to his list of professional failures, failures he takes to heart even as he knows the odds are stacked incredibly against him, so he indulges in a moment of burying his face in his hands as he sits in the black leather executive chair behind the big oak desk.

"You're an asshole."

Minseok spreads his fingers so he can glare at his familiar, but he doesn't disagree.  He just runs his fingers through his hair again, then turns his radio on so he can monitor the chatter as all available units spiral outward from the spot the girls were last seen.

"You need my help if you want to find them," Chen states.

"So help," Minseok snaps, booting his computer and providing credentials, biological and otherwise.

"At least one of the parents knows something," Chen asserts.  "I can find out who and what."

"How the fuck can you know that?"  Minseok scrolls through the on-screen reports from Dispatch, making sure every single lead has someone specifically assigned to follow up on it and that the person is actually doing so.

"When you opened the door, I could tell.  Someone in that room reeks of fear."

Minseok glares at the demon, who has slid his pants down just enough to allow his tail to unfurl behind him, black velvet ears once again crouching in black silky hair.  "Of course they reek of fear--their children are missing.  Humans actually care for their young," Minseok explains as if to a child.

Chen rolls his eyes at the patronizing words, but he elaborates.  "Not worry, not concern, not fear for someone else--someone reeks of selfish fear.  It's more acrid, and it's unmistakeable."

Minseok curls his lip.  "What are you, some sort of fear sommelier?"

The familiar curls his right back.  "What part of 'I'm a fucking demon' don't you get that I have to keep explaining it to you?"

The Chief Inspector resists the urge to slam Chen's beautiful, scornful face into the top of his solid oak desk.  "Uh, how about the part where you haven't actually explained much about any of this entire familiar situation to me at all?"

Chen goes silent, and they scowl at each other for a long minute.  But duty before dignity, so Minseok rakes his scalp again.  "Fine, you want to talk to them, you can talk to them, but for the love of peace, please do not do anything that's going to look odd on the recording--and pull your fucking pants up."

"It burns energy to hide my tail," the demon complains, but he stands up as Minseok does, righting his clothing with his tail once again absent.  "You should appreciate the conservation since you're the one that has to fill my tank."

"Right now, the only thing I want to fill is the arms of those parents with the laughing bodies of their living children, so do whatever you must.  If you can spare the remaining scraps of my dignity while doing so, that would be a nice bonus," Minseok growls.  "How exactly would you like to go about sniffing our distraught citizens?"

"Just let me bring them coffee or something."

"All that stuff's already in there, but you could take Detective Byun a report, I guess."

"Fine."

 

The print dialogue reminds Minseok that he's killing a tree by running off the top few pages of the ever-scrolling reports from Dispatch, but he'd murder an entire forest for three living children so he feels no remorse as he hands the sheets to the demon.  He follows behind the properly-dressed human impersonator as they return to the interview room, and this time it's Minseok who waits in the hallway, glued to the monitor as the unnatural creature bows politely to the room, then proceeds to hand the confused-but-covering-well detective a stack of useless papers.  Detective Byun thanks him, they trade more bows, then the demon shows himself out as the detective explains that the report indicates that all efforts are proceeding with utmost haste and care--not even a lie, since Minseok's team is fucking awesome.

Chen heads straight for the monitor, then points to the figure he claims stinks.  Minseok's eyebrows hit his hairline.

"Really?  The woman?"

Chen tilts his head.  "Women can't be bad guys?"

"Well, sure, but a mother should be invested in her child's well-being."

"I can't tell you about that--I'm just a demon, remember?  But she is absolutely drenched in sour, selfish fear."

"Fuck," Minseok says, sure that his favorite word will end up inscribed as the epitaph on his tombstone.  He hopes his team picks a suitably elegant font when the day inevitably comes.  Again the Chief Inspector's scalp is subjected to self-abuse.  "Fine--you better be fucking right about this."

Chen just curls a disrespectful lip at him, so Minseok rolls his eyes, then knocks and admits himself to the interview room, setting off another round of bowing.  "As a formality, we need to interview each family privately--you understand that we have to follow every procedure that may lead to any insight, so we appreciate your cooperation even when things are awkward."  Everyone nods, then Minseok sets his gaze on the tall, slender man in the middle of the room with his gangly arms around a shorter, rounder woman.  "Mr. and Mrs. Park, if you'd come with me?"

More bowing (and a lifted brow from Detective Byun) as the Chief Inspector leads his pair of lambs to the slaughter that awaits them in Interview Two, a smaller, harshly-lit, sparsely-furnished room that is a jarring contrast to the lounge they were just in.  Minseok gestures for them to be seated on the hard metal folding chairs, then nods at Chen. 

"This is Police Consultant Kim--he specializes in body language, and he'll be conducting the interview," Minseok introduces, glad that he'd thought to officially register Chen as a consultant during the previous penthouse debacle.  "Please be aware that this interview is being recorded and may possibly be used in a court of law.  I know this seems demeaning and unnecessary, but we must gather as much information as possible to maximize our chances of finding your precious child.  Your honesty and candor are important, so please don't leave anything out, even if it doesn't seem significant."

He nods to the innocuous-looking demon to begin, then immediately regrets it as soon as the first sentence leaves the fiend's lips.

"Mrs. Park, why did you sell your daughter?"

Mr. Park stands up, outraged on his wife's behalf, looking to Minseok to intervene, but now even plain-human Minseok can tell that something's off about Mrs. Park's reactions.  She's not even glancing in her husband's direction.  She just stares at her hands, which she keeps folding and unfolding as if she's not sure exactly what to be doing with them.

"I don't know what you mean," she mumbles.  "How dare you accuse a mother of such a thing?"

"How dare _you_ sell your own child?" Chen counters.  "What did you get in return?  Was it money?  How much?  How much was your little girl's blossoming spirit worth?"

Mr. Park is caught between loyalty to his beloved wife and the force of Chen's uncanny charisma along with the certainty with which the demon wields his words.  His gaze is darting back and forth between his wife and Chen, outrage on pause until he's sure of the correct target of his ire.

Mrs. Park's gaze is firmly fixed on the table.  "I love my daughter," she asserts.

"Daughters," Mr. Park corrects, face twisted with emotion.  "We have two--we still have two!"

Mrs. Park is silent, but Chen continues to press.  "Come on, Mrs. Park--tell me what they paid you.  What promise did they make that caused a mother to turn her back on her own child?  To let strangers make her scream until her voice breaks along with her body?  Did you get extra for selling other people's princesses as well?  Some kind of three-for-one special?"

Those hypnotic eyes are boring into Mrs. Park, who has started to squirm under the force of that inescapable gaze.  Mr. Park looks more and more nauseated, eyes franticly looking for some reassurance from any of the others in the room.  Minseok wants to throw up himself, and the force of that infernal gaze isn't even directed at him.

"Honey, please tell these good men that this is some sort of misunderstanding," Mr. Park begs, large eyes brimming with moisture.  His watery gaze fastens on Chen's implacable one, making Minseok's own eyes widen a bit at the man's boldness.  He's either very brave or so far beyond terrified that staring directly into the abyss triggers no further fear.  "Please, Sir, my wife is a good woman.  She would never choose to harm our darling girls."

Mrs. Park rounds on her husband.  "Choose?  _Choose_?  How can you talk about choices, as if I've had  _any_  since I married you?  Is it a choice to have a husband who can't hold down a decent job?  Is it a choice to skip dinner so everyone else can eat?  Is it a choice to take in washing and mending to afford food?  Is it a choice to meet lonely businessmen outside of bars to make enough money to pay the rent?  Is it a choice to sacrifice one child so the other has a chance at a future where she won't have to make choices like this?"

Both parents are teary-eyed now, but Mr. Park is on the floor, desperately gripping his wife's ankle.  "So it's true?  You sold our little Mina?  How could you sell our beautiful little girl?  I know I'm not the best husband or father, but you... You're her mother--you're supposed to love her!"

Mrs. Park's gaze is sharp to match her tone.  "I did love her, but she was never as bright as Yuna.  They guaranteed Yuna a place in the best school, all expenses covered.  She can be a doctor or a lawyer, have a good career and meet a good man, a better man than I did!  But even if he does turn out to be a lowlife like her father, she'll be able to make enough money on her own to support her kids--she'll never have to sit while a room full of _men_  judge what it is to be a good mother!"

Chen snorts.  "I admit to knowing nothing about motherhood, but I do know about cruelty.  Especially the kind that happens to little girls in the hands of bad men.  Do you really consider yourself a good mother, when you gave the child you cradled to your breast over to be torn apart by monsters?"

"They said they would be merciful.  That she would be drugged--"

The rest of her words are cut off by an agonized cry as Mr. Park launches himself at his wife.  But Chen is there between them, one hand on the man's chest, that hypnotic gaze freezing his prey like a rabbit before a cobra.  

"Mr. Park, please don't make us put both of your children's parents in jail today," he says, but despite the soothing tone of his voice, his words are laced in steel.  

And soon, so are both parents' hands as the Chief Inspector cuffs Mr. Park's wrists behind his back and Mrs. Park's left hand to the table.  He slides a notepad and a pencil to the glaring woman.

"Write down everything you know about whoever you made this deal with, the details of the deal, absolutely everything that might help us to find these creeps.  You may have chosen to give up your own child, but I have two other sets of distraught parents to answer to, and if their children aren't alive when I get to them--"  _Don't threaten the detainee on camera._   "--Additional charges will be brought."   _Or I might just leave you in a room alone with said other parents for an hour, and whatever happens, happens._

Minseok escorts Mr. Park back out into the hallway, leaving the woman in Chen's terrifying hands--he's pretty sure the demon won't kill the woman, but he's not at all sure that he would care if he did.  To the Chief Inspector, the only thing worse than people who victimize children are people who victimize their  _own_  children, so if the demon accidently eats her or something, Minseok will only be annoyed that it'll add to his never-ending paperwork.

 

Minseok takes the cuffs off of Mr. Park as soon as he's safely away from his wife--as much harm as the Chief Inspector hopes the woman suffers, Mr. Park's children need someone to look after them, and whatever the man's faults, he at least seems to genuinely love his daughters.  He doesn't want to leave him alone in an interview room, but he can't put him back in with the other two--they'd tear him apart whether he had anything to do with it or not.  So he just leads the man to his office and gestures for him to occupy the sofa.  Chen said nothing about this guy being involved, and that's good enough for Minseok, who deliberately pushes away the apparent contradiction with the fact that he is sure he doesn't trust the demon at all.

Mr. Park just sits forlornly on the sofa, head dangling almost between his knees, like a marionette with cut strings.  "I know I'm a fuckup," he mournfully admits to his scuffed leather shoes.  "But I never wanted them to suffer because of me--I never eat at home, but my wife--she's always been, well, cuddly--I had no idea she was skipping meals.  Or that she was selling herself to other men--what kind of man am I to allow this to happen to my family?  My poor little girls!"  Mr. Park dissolves into sobs, and Minseok just puts a box of tissues by the man's oversized feet.

"Consultant Kim will get all the information she has, and I'll have my best men follow up on those leads.  I wasn't lying when I told you I'm personally overseeing this case, so I hope you'll excuse me if I get back to it, but you're welcome to sit right there so that as soon as I know something, you will, too." 

This, of course, breaks several protocols, but if he's called on the carpet for it, his Exhibit A is going to be this poor man's completely pathetic face.  He's like some droop-eared puppy that someone just beat the shit out of, and Minseok might be an introvert but he's not anti-social--he's not going to cut the guy loose to suffer alone.  

Mr. Park just nods, attempting what Minseok suspects is supposed to be a bow but his head is already hanging so low it looks almost like he's going to tumble off the sofa onto the floor.  He just sits there in a sniffling heap of misery while Minseok's eyes flit over the information and updates scrolling over his screen, making sure no viable lead is ignored and that any non-essential tasks are suspended in favor of looking for the kids.

Chen bursts through the open door a few minutes later, waving the notepad and calling Minseok's name.  He does a double-take at the lump of mournful humanity on the sofa he used to occupy, and Minseok lifts his head as a bolt of something new sizzles down their link.  Minseok lifts a brow, but the sensation was instantaneous and immediately suppressed, so he's not sure what riled his excitable little demon.  He doesn't have the time or inclination to dwell on it, because Chen continues, with slightly more decorum given the audience.

"Chief, I think I got something useful.  I gave the lady to your glaring fuzzy-headed detective, and man--that guy would make a good demon--" Chen's eyes flick to the figure on the sofa.  "--stration of how to book a prisoner.  He's... really intense."

Minseok suppresses a grin.  High stress jobs filled by people with strong personalities means that nicknames--mostly unflattering--crop up like dandelions as a way to blow off emotion when said personalities clash.  Detective Do might call their rookie a noodle, but the rookie has good reasons to call his senior detective "Satansoo" behind his back.  Well behind his back.  And preferably with Minseok standing between them.

"He's very effective,' Minseok agrees, then reaches for the notepad while nodding at the sofa.  "Mr. Park will just be keeping us company while we work," he explains to Chen, getting another flash of that same fire across their link.  He ignores it in favor of poring over the notepad Chen hands him, both grateful for and disturbed by the information written there.

The Chief Inspector's fingers fly as he inputs the new data into the system, then picks up his direct line to dispatch to confirm that they're reading it and assigning the best officers to follow these new leads.  Just as he's thanking the operator and hanging up, Detective Byun's cautious face pokes into the office.

"Chief, I don't mean to interrupt--"

"You're fine, Byun."  Minseok says, but his eyebrows demand explanations.

"The families are wondering what's going on with these interviews."  His eyes flick to the crumpled figure on the sofa, widening a bit in recognition.  "Are they going to continue?"

Minseok rakes fingertips over his scalp, then looks at Chen who subtly shakes his head.  "No, we got what we needed--Mrs. Park has been booked for human trafficking and child endangerment among other things."

The detective's eyes widen further, now blatantly gaping at Mr. Park.

"He knew nothing," Minseok responds to the question in his detective's eyes.  "But I couldn't just put him back with the others.  Can you assign one of the sensitivity-trained rookies to the others, and take Mr. Park to get a cup of coffee or something?"

Immediately, Minseok's link to Chen glows with relief and satisfaction, and he turns the full beam of his megawatt smile toward the detective.  "Oh, that would be very kind of you, Detective.  Above and beyond your duties--such dedication is sure to be well rewarded."

Minseok is sure his clever detective will snap something sharp-witted and scathing in response to Chen's too-obvious flattery, but to his shock, the man just nods, resting his hand on the broken man's shoulder.

"Come on, Mr. Park.  Let's go for a little walk and let the Chief Inspector do his job."

Desperately teary eyes land on Minseok.  "But the Chief said he'd let me know as soon as they found anything," Mr. Park mumbles.

Detective Byun just smiles reassuringly, patting the radio on his hip.  "And he will--we're all in constant contact, just like the Borg," he assures the man, tugging gently on Mr. Park's arm to coax him off Minseok's sofa.

Chen's reassuring smile joins the detective's in bathing the broken man with mercy, and he allows himself to be led away, Detective Byun's gentle voice running a soothing patter that fades down the hallway with the pair of footsteps.

 

Alone once again with the bane of his existence, the Chief Inspector lifts a brow at his boldly manipulative little demon.  "Are you feeling shy today, or do you just want me all to yourself?" he asks, attempting a bit of a joke.  He's sure that Chen just wants privacy to drop his pants and let his tail out again.

But the demon's face is serious as he shuts the office door and reclaims his spot on the sofa, ass (and tail) hanging out as predicted.  "You're mine," Chen asserts, as if it should be obvious.

Minseok blinks in shock.  Those flashes of heat down their link--  "Wait, were you actually  _jealous_?"

Chen glares at him.  "You're  _mine,_ " he repeats, feline tail lashing behind him in annoyance.

Another astonished blink, then Minseok wraps his tender heart in a shield of irritation once again.  "Only because I have to be," he retorts, getting a stab of what might be pain through their link before indignation rolls heavily down the line.

"Don't act like you aren't attracted to me," the demon sneers.  "I take good care of you, and I just fucking broke your case wide open.  You have nothing to complain about," he asserts, leaning back against the couch, arms spread along the top.  "And you can't fucking  _wait_  to feed me again."

Minseok scowls, hating that for a moment he'd actually considered that the beast might have any kind of non-selfish feelings for his walking battery.  The creature is just possessive of his meal like a dog with a bone and is only driven to be helpful by the contract that binds them.  Even though he knows it's futile--you can't cut the heart out of a creature that doesn't have one in the first place--his pain prompts him to lash out at his jailer in an attempt to return at least some of the hurt to its source.

"You are so fucking wrong," he says, letting the truth of his words ring down their link.  "I wish I never had to feed you ever again."

Minseok takes shameful satisfaction in the fact that for once it's the demon's eyes that go wide with surprise.  This time, the flash of pain down their link is strong enough for Minseok to be sure of its identity before there is only seething rage, and a small black cat squirms out from beneath Chen's pilfered button-down.  It glares at Minseok, molten hatred in its blood amber eyes as it slinks--where else?--under the sofa.

Minseok closes his eyes, fighting the regret that threatens to make him take back his words, apologize, beg for forgiveness.  He'd wanted to irk the demon, and he'd done so--he should be crowing in triumph.  So why does he have a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach instead of satisfaction singing through his veins?  He tells himself it's a reflex reaction, because he's usually a nice guy that tries  _not_  to hurt people's feelings.  But Chen isn't people, he's a demon, and he's caused Minseok nothing but suffering, and will apparently continue to do so for the rest of his thrice-damned life.

So the Chief Inspector takes a calming breath, then gets up to fold the abandoned clothes neatly and set them and Chen's borrowed shoes in an empty file drawer, not in a hurry to explain to his coworkers why disembodied clothing is littering his office.  Chen will either turn back and get dressed before they leave, or Minseok will take him home in a file box along with all of the depressing paperwork this case is about to generate.  He has plenty of time to get over his snit, because Minseok doesn't foresee leaving this office for the next forty-eight hours at least, and he allows himself a small grin that at least now the sofa will be free for him to nap on when he's driven to exhaustion.

Like the professional he is, he thrusts all non-case-related thoughts to the side, ignores the red hot throbbing in the back of his mind, and concentrates on his work, filtering reports and redirecting personnel and scribbling notes in his precise hand without even looking away from the computer screen that is feeding him information. 

The leads generated by Mrs. Park are unfortunately rather vague.  She claims not to have known her contact's name other than "Mr. Kim," she says she communicated with him only via text messages that she immediately deleted (not that that means they're gone, just that Minseok has to wait for the boffins to deliver the goods), and that he'd initially contacted her one morning a few weeks ago after she'd been yelling at a crying Mina while walking her to school.  The money was sent electronically and anonymously to the school in question in Yuna's name, and Mrs. Park claims to have no idea how he got her number in the first place.

Minseok has the boffins working on the texts, retrieving logs from the service provider even though he's sure this "Mr. Kim" used a disposable pre-paid cell phone like every other criminal with an IQ higher than 5, and tracking the donated money through what he's certain will turn out to be numbered anonymous accounts.  But he still has to check everydamnthing that could possibly hold any scrap of information as to who took the girls--and why did he take all three, when he'd only paid for one?  Was it mere opportunity?  Had the abductor been unsure as to which girl was Mina and just decided to grab the lot and sort it out later?  Or had he deliberately targeted all three?

And did it really fucking matter, when their fates would ultimately be the same?

He sighs, standing up to stretch his legs and rest his eyes, wandering over to the mini-fridge that holds bottled water, canned espresso shots, bottles of beer and soju--one of the perks of being the Chief Inspector.  He's just tilting one of the abominable but effective caffeine-packed espresso drinks against his lips when a sudden voice behind him almost makes him inhale the liquid instead of swallowing it.

"That's not food--you need food," Chen's stern voice commands.

Minseok manages to force the beverage down the correct pipe with only a little coughing to show for his efforts as he whirls around--to face empty air.  His demon-dar pings from under the sofa, and he wrinkles his nose in distaste.

"Are you really lying naked under my sofa yelling at me about nutrition while I am in the middle of this nightmare of a case?" he admonishes.

"Would you rather have me lying naked on top of your sofa, where anyone could walk in and see?" Chen retorts.  "Besides, it's freakishly clean under here--I'm pretty sure you have diagnosable issues."

"Oh yes," Minseok agrees, pinching the bridge of his nose as if to stop the last of his patience from leaving his body.  "And the biggest one is lecturing me from under the furniture, because he cares more about his own dinner than saving the lives of three little girls!"

Silence hangs in the air like a dirge for several long moments after Minseok's frustrated outburst.  When Chen's voice next slips out from under the faded green upholstery, it's accompanied by a strange sense of forlorn whispering down their link.

"Why do you hate me so much?"

Minseok sighs.  Might as well get it all out there--maybe Chen will pout for another few hours and let him work in peace.  "Because you say you take good care of me, but humans have needs that you're incapable of meeting, and you're preventing me from getting them met anywhere else." 

"What the fuck could you  _possibly_  need that your own personal demon can't manage to provide?"  Chen's voice is incredulous.

"Oh, I don't know--how about things like love, or unselfish affection, or even simple companionship?  You've doomed me to a lifetime of painful, angry sex; killed any chance I had of having a boyfriend, much less a family; and if you can barely tolerate me having a witness on my sofa in my office, I shudder to think what would happen if I dared to have a friend over to watch the game.  I'm basically fucked--not in the good way--and my only remaining avenue of satisfaction or meaning to my life is my job, which I admit you've been helpful with, but it's a small fucking comfort especially during cases like this, which, even with perfect police work and lightning-fast response time is almost sure to end with me attending three funerals with tiny fucking coffins.  If you're that concerned about your precious milk cow chewing enough cud, go bring me some fucking food.  Otherwise, shut the fuck up and let me work so I can pretend I have the tiniest chance of finding even one of these girls alive."

Rant over, Minseok finishes the energy drink in one long gulp, crumples the can in his fist before chucking it in the recycling bin, and resumes his seat at his computer, comparing his notes with the newest information constantly updating on his screen.  He's so focused on his task, redirecting officers in the most promising direction that he barely hears the scuffling from the direction of the couch, then the file drawer behind him opening and closing.

And it is a promising direction, so promising that Minseok repeatedly finds himself holding his breath as he coordinates his crew.  The mass citizen-alert text generated a response from a delivery driver that said he just dropped off a large order at a warehouse by the river, and when the guy opened the door, he could hear what sounded like at least one little girl crying in the background before a shout cut the sound short.

He's holding his breath because it could be nothing, probably is nothing, is likely just a movie playing on the employees' lunch break, or somebody's kid that didn't want to spend their day at a boring old warehouse.  So many innocent scenarios are possible, but it's the closest thing to a credible lead out of the thousands of "I saw a white van once" that their tip line is always flooded with by well-meaning citizens that genuinely want to help but just add to the pile of responses that his crew has to filter through.

So he's sending two cars to the address provided, cursing the "Hot Friday" traffic that starts choking Seoul even this early in the day as frazzled workers flee the city for the weekend.  It seems to take for-fucking-ever for the corresponding blips on his GPS tracker to make their way to the site in question, long enough that he's absently shoveling mysteriously-appearing bibimbap--the good kind, with extra meat and an egg on top--into his mouth without really noticing what he's doing until he almost chokes as he tries to answer his suddenly-ringing phone without swallowing first.

"Chief Inspector," he manages to announce, voice only a little strained.

"They're not here," Detective Do's somber voice reports, sending Minseok's heart crashing towards his toes.

...Only to ricochet like a slingshot when the man adds, "But they were."


	6. Feliney Kit-napping

"When?" Minseok demands into his phone, followed immediately by, "Are you sure?" before his detective can even draw breath to answer his first question.

"Recently, and yes," Detective Do answers, used to his superior's frantic need to know everything right-fucking-now.  "We've got a shoe that matches the description of what one of the girls was wearing, along with three children's backpacks full of homework with the girls' names on it."

Minseok's heart rate is bouncing all over the place as he's torn between conflicting emotions.  Actual clues definitively connected to the case are desperately needed, but of course he would have preferred to find the girls themselves.

"Get a search dog--" Minseok begins, but his detective cuts him off.

"Already on the way.  Two of the backpacks are vinyl, and we were able to lift several adult-sized prints that are being digitized and uploaded into the national database as we speak."

"The parents' reference samples are already in there," Minseok states.

"We've also got tire tracks and footprints and other evidence that will be much more useful once we have something to compare it to."

"Good work, Do.  Now that we're sure it's them, I'll have the delivery guy come in to meet with a sketch artist," Minseok adds.  "I'll have this asshole's face all over the media and the internet as soon as possible."

"I'll keep you posted," the detective acknowledges, then adds, "When the noodle starts his shift, send him over with coffee."

Minseok's face cracks into a genuine smile for the first time since he walked into the building ages ago that morning.  "Are you sure you don't want me to send Byun?"  Both detectives are excellent at their jobs, but having them work the same scene tends to result in a lot of yelling.

"I thought you liked me," Detective Do complains.  "Besides, the noodle sucks less than he used to."

"That's because my best detective is training him well," Minseok praises.  "Let me know if you need an extra body--I can have Byun monitor the feeds and give you a hand."

"You could have Byun monitor the feeds and take a nap."  The language is respectful, but the detective's tone makes the suggestion border on a command.  "You know we're going to need you when the shit hits the fan in the middle of the night."

"I'll rest when this is over," Minseok dismisses.  "Keep me informed."

"I always do," Detective Do signs off.

Minseok drops his head into his hands, running fingers over his scalp as he stares at the bowl of rice, veggies, and meat that he doesn't remember acquiring, yet somehow he's apparently mostly consumed.  He wonders vaguely how long it has been there and whether someone other than his demonic overseer had brought it to him.  

He looks up, for once not startled to discover his personal demon in his immediate proximity, staring at him with the burning holes he tries to pass off as irises.  He lets out a sardonic huff at the thought that he might actually be getting used to having the demon around.

Especially because he already knows what's about to come out of the beast's prettily-upturned lips.

"He's right--you need to sleep.  But first, finish your food."

Minseok sighs, because he can feel the demon's own hunger building, even though it's still not even human-dinner-time.  It has only been a few days since Minseok supposedly rescued his eternal tormentor from starvation, so he guesses he shouldn't be surprised that the creature's efforts to appear fully human (and whatever the fuck he does to make humans do what he wants) are burning through his energy rather quickly.

Minseok feels a pang in his own stomach that has nothing to do with hunger.  "Fine," he sighs, picking up his chopsticks.  "I'll finish this, then I'll feed you, then I'll have no choice but to take a nap.  But I'll need to have a detective in here to monitor the feeds, so please try not to murder him for sitting within ten feet of your chewtoy."

But Chen is shaking his head, feline ears flattened into near-invisibility, linen-covered arms folded over what Minseok knows to be a rather lovely chest.  "You're not feeding me.  You're feeding yourself, then you're going to tell me what exactly you're doing, and then you're going to sleep while I monitor these all-important feeds."

Minseok scowls.  "I can't just explain--"

"You can, because I've been watching you and for all of your furious note-taking and cross-checking, the only time anything exciting has happened is when your computer made an alert sound, or someone called your phone.  I might not be a fancy Chief Inspector, but I'm smart enough to notice if electronic devices make noise.  Just tell me what noises are worth waking you up for, and get some fucking sleep."

Minseok's face is contorting almost painfully at the demon's cavalier attitude toward his job.  "You think I'm just amusing myself over here, waiting for the next digital beep?" he asks, incredulous.

"No, but I think you run an incredibly tight ship.  Your minions know you're always watching and making sure they don't fuck up, so even if you stop watching for a few hours, they'll assume you still are and will continue to not fuck up."

Minseok just gapes at him, and the demon rolls his eyes, takes chopsticks from slack fingers, and pokes another wad of rice and veggies into Minseok's open mouth.

"Eat, then sleep.  Good Chief Inspector," he coos when Minseok resentfully chews his mouthful.

Minseok continues to scowl, but he does finish the bibimbap his demon evidently put on his human form (and actual clothes) to bring him.  As he does so, he briefly explains the sort of keywords that are the most important to track through the feed, then hangs up his jacket and goes to lie on his comfy green couch. 

Settling on his back with his head pillowed against one cushioned corduroy armrest, Minseok reaches for the blue plaid blanket neatly folded over the back of the sofa and drapes it over himself.  The blanket always makes him smile, because it just appeared one day on top of him while he was napping, and no one is willing to admit being the one to tuck him in (though Minseok's money would be on Detective Byun).

Satisfied with his obedient little human, Chen flips off the light, letting the constantly-scrolling computer screen softly illuminate the room.  The station is quieter than usual, since literally anyone who can be spared is searching for the girls, and the gently flickering light bouncing off the gray metal file boxes that line the wall behind Minseok's desk casts the room into an ethereal twilight.

"I didn't really have much of a choice, you know."  Chen's voice is quiet as he makes his way behind Minseok's heavy oak desk, moving as easily as a cat through the dimly-lit room.  "I was starving, and I've been forbidden to feed from anyone that isn't my--" A pause.  "I'm only allowed to feed from someone if I'm their familiar.  You touched me and established the link, and I was running out of time.  I had to complete the binding or die."  Another pause.  "I..."  A sigh.  "It wasn't personal."  Something soft and strange is leaking through the link.

Minseok feels a flash of guilt.  Chen might be heartlessly using him, but it's only because he wants to survive.  It's hard to blame any creature for clinging to life in the only way it can.

He's distracted from his melancholy by a rustling from the other side of the room.  The demon is shuffling around half-bent behind the Chief Inspector's desk, and when he straightens up, the monitor's glow reveals that he's unbuttoning his shirt.

"What are you doing?" Minseok asks, though he really means  _why the fuck are you doing it?_

"Putting you to sleep," the demon explains, using the tone of voice that implies that he's patiently answering a question posed by an utter moron.

"But you said I wasn't feeding you," Minseok accuses, not that he's unwilling, just that he dislikes being misled and the demon isn't supposed to be able to do that.

Chen rolls his eyes.  "You're not," he scoffs, back to his usual brassy and bossy.  "I'm going to be your sweet little kittycat, and I'm going to sit on you and purr.  Humans are supposed to find that soothing.  You can even pet me if you want--stroking an animal is proven to lower blood pressure, and the veins on your neck are currently a bit too prominent to be entirely healthy."

Minseok gapes, completely disbelieving the concept that Chen can be a sweet little _anything._   "But you said you would watch--" he begins, but Chen just continues removing his clothes and piling them into Minseok's computer chair.

"Just relax, Mr. Death-Before-Dereliction.  I'll be rubbing my bare human ass on your fancy leather chair as soon as _your_ human ass is asleep."

Laughing at Minseok's disgusted expression, the demon ducks behind the desk and then his sleek black feline form is marching purposefully towards his prone victim, leaping lightly from the floor to Minseok's chest and settling sternum-to-sternum.  He blinks slowly at the still-astonished Chief Inspector, vertical pupils almost round in the dim light.  A rumble vibrates from the feline's chest, and tiny black toes slowly clutch and release the pale blue fabric of Minseok's uniform front, alternating from left to right in rhythm with the creature's cyclical purr.

Minseok feels amusement and satisfaction floating down their link and wonders what the fuck he's currently transmitting back up.  It would be rather handy to know, because he has no fucking clue what the actual fuck he's feeling right now.

This is... almost... nice?  And after Chen's voluntary admission of his dependence on Minseok, it feels rather like an apology--almost like the beast is making a deliberate effort to be more cuddly after Minseok complained about the bleak, affection-less existence the demon consigned him to.  Allowing himself to feel a begrudging burst of fondness for the infuriating creature, Minseok decides to accept the apparent olive branch, slipping his hand out from under the blue plaid and cautiously running it over the cat's sleek back.

Chen's fur is as soft and satiny as it looks, and the contact makes the purring creature's rumble intensify and those blood-amber eyes narrow in evident satisfaction.  Encouraged by the fact that he touched the cat and still has all his fingers, Minseok repeats the action, daring to begin his stroke as far up as the beast's neck.  Chen's purring continues to intensify, and pink puffs of pleasure float across their link.

Minseok's lips curve ever so slightly.  So his little ball of animosity actually  _likes_  being petted, and is apparently willing for the human to be aware of this fact, even though he probably views it as a vulnerability. Olive branch, indeed.  Does this mean he trusts Minseok not to abuse this information?  Or does he really just want his human to stop being an emo buzzkill because that's not good for feeding?

Deciding to just take as much pleasure as he possibly can from this surprisingly-sweet interaction while it lasts and save the deep analysis for later, Minseok continues to stroke the shiny black fur, caressing velvet ears and even rubbing his knuckles against whiskery feline cheeks.  Chen takes the opportunity to swipe the side of his face aggressively against Minseok's hand, and Minseok almost laughs at the glow of smug possession that flavors the continuing gentle puffs of pleasure.

Minseok tries to stay awake, because petting Chen is really pleasant and he's not sure the fickle beast will ever voluntarily offer the experience again.  But the continuously-rumbling purrs and the rhythmically-kneading paws and the slowly-blinking dark copper eyes are combining to lull him into a sort of hypnosis, and the Chief Inspector's eyelids refuse to obey his orders to remain open.

 

But they fly open at once when the demon's voice calls his name sharply, and he's on his feet and moving toward the glow of his computer monitor before his eyes are cleared of sleep enough to decipher the scrolling words on the screen.

"What is it?"

"I think I know where they are.  But if I'm right, you're not gonna like it."

The Chief Inspector doesn't bother with "How?" because he's sure he'll just get some variation on "I'm a fucking demon."  So instead the word that rumbles out in his sleep-roughened voice is, "Where?"  He doesn't wait for the demon's reply before pushing the button on his phone that will connect him with Detective Do.

"Samgaksan."

Minseok tilts his head, unfamiliar with any place called Three-Horned Mountain.  "Where?" he asks again, just as his detective picks up his call.

"Samgaksan--oh, I think you people call it Bukhansan now."

"What about Bukhansan?" Detective Do's voice comes out of the phone's speaker.

"There's a lead that points to the kids being taken there," the Chief Inspector informs him.

A pause.  "That's eighty square kilometers of heavily-forested mountains.  Please tell me you have something a little more specific."

"They'd need somewhere relatively flat and level, sheltered from too much exposure to the elements, somewhere they're unlikely to be interrupted," Chen speaks up.

"Do I even want to know what for?" the detective asks.

"Nope," the Police Consultant answers.

"Weird shit?"

"Weird shit."

A sigh.  "There's the old fortress, of course, but that's a popular tourist destination.  But the mountains are riddled with ancient temples, and to preserve the ecology, the park rotates which paths hikers are allowed to access each year.  I can call the Mountain Rescue and get a list of temples not currently open to the public, but that's still going to be a lot."

"I might be able to help narrow it down," Chen says.

"Then I'll call back as soon as I have the info," the detective says.  "Chief?"

"Make it quick," Minseok orders.

"Like a rocket," Detective Do promises, ending the call.

Minseok rubs his eyes, staring at the phone's home screen.  Seven-thirty--he's been asleep for way too fucking long and yet it still doesn't feel like enough.  The demon evidently drained him hard with his clothespin torture session.

He rolls the computer chair aside so he can see the screen better, ignoring the fact that the demon occupying the comfortable black leather seat is indeed bare-assed and swishy-tailed beneath the professional button-down he pilfered from Minseok's closet.  The feed is depressingly familiar--meter after meter of negative interviews, negative searches, negative results.  He rakes his fingers through his hair, then yelps as he's tugged backward to land in the demon's lap.

"The fuck are you doing?" Minseok demands, in no mood for hijinks.

"Affection-ing you."  Chen scoots the chair around so the Chief Inspector has a good view of the screen, settling his arms securely around Minseok's hips.

"Why?" It's hard to glare at the demon over his shoulder, but Minseok does his best.

He feels Chen shrug those beautiful shoulders against his back.  "Because fighting with you is less fun if you actually hate me."

Minseok turns his eyes back to the scrolling stream of nothing slowly reeling away his hope of finding the girls alive.  He sighs and rakes his scalp again.  "I don't actually hate you.  But right now, I definitely hate my job."

Arms tighten briefly around Minseok's middle.  "You're good at it, though.  You're a good leader.  Your minions work hard for you."

"And yet it feels like fuck-all when it ends with tiny coffins." Minseok grumbles, but it is kind of comforting to have the demon's solid warmth at his back.

"I doubt they'll have been abused, though," Chen says brightly, as if to cheer him up.

Suddenly Minseok feels far less comforted.  He disrupts his hairstyle yet again, scowling at the screen that refuses to give him an iota of positive information regarding the missing girls.  His tooth enamel is temporarily saved from being slowly ground away when Minseok's phone lights up with the Senior Detective's ID.

"Talk to me," Minseok demands.

"Currently off-limits temples include Obong-sa, Samcheon-sa, Yongdeok-sa--"

"Dragon-Virtue Temple?" Chen breaks in.  "Where is that?"

Rustling is transmitted over the line as Detective Do consults his notes.  "Yeongbong."

"Spirit Peak?  Start there!"  Chen urges.

"Chief?" the detective asks.

"Do it," the Chief Inspector commands.  "Call in the choppers, get the Mountain Rescue on the line, drones, search dogs, all of it."

"You got it, Boss," Detective Do acknowledges, then the phone goes silent.

Minseok tosses his hair out of his face and is about to rake his fingers through it yet again when Chen catches his hand, tangling their fingers together and offering a small smile.

"You're gonna go bald," he chides gently.

The last thing Minseok cares about right now is his follicular health.  He glares at the demon who's holding his fingers captive.  "Why am I sending my entire crew off into the literal sunset to search a mountain top for probably-not-abused but probably-still-dead little girls?"

"Because the sketch came back, and I know the guy.  So I know what sort of things he's been planning.  And this lines up with his giant ego and sense of drama."

"Who is he?"

"Junmyeon's asshole pal--Kris or Kevin or something like that."

Minseok frees his fingers and pulls up the sketch.  For a moment he just stares at it, then he closes his eyes on a groan, pinching the bridge of his nose.  "Oh, of fucking course.  Of fucking  _course_  it's the fucking ambassador's son!"

Chen shrugs again.  "I don't know whose kid he is.  I just know he's an arrogant, twisted prick."

"Fuck," Minseok says, because that is basically what his life has come to.  Fuck a demon, fuck his sanity, and fuck any hopes of bringing the arrogant, twisted prick to justice.  "Is there any hope of getting the girls back alive?"

Another shrug.  "Probably not.  The asshole's arrogant, but not stupid, so I doubt he'd set up where he could be seen from the air.  And he'll probably have sprayed everyone with something to mask their scent, so your dogs will have a hard time finding anything to track."

"Fuuuuuuuck."  Minseok folds himself onto the oak surface in front of him, burying his head in his arms. 

He lets himself mourn for a heartbeat or two, then he sits up again, eyes hard.  He leans and twists so he can look the demon straight in the black hellpits of his eyes.  "I'm not going to bother interrogating the fuck out of you regarding Junmyeon, the ambassador's son, and all the extra-twisted weird shit I'm sure my teams are going to find on top of that mountain, because I know you're not going to tell me anything at all useful, and part of me really doesn't even want to know.  But you  _are_  going to tell me if there are any more sick fucks I need to be keeping an eye on, or any more twisted plans in the works, because I am so fucking over this shit."

"I only ever saw Junmyeon and Kevris and a third guy--they just called him the Tiger.  He's a short-tempered meathead--not the biggest guy, but strong.  I'd bet he was the one that actually grabbed the girls.  If there are more involved, I don't know who they are--oh, I guess there's Taozi, but he doesn't count."

"The fuck is Taozi?"

"Krisvin's familiar."

"Another demon?"

"Yup.  He's just an imp though--much less powerful than me."

"Oh, well, that's a relief," Minseok says in his most sarcastic voice.  "Because then at the climax of this horror movie that I seem to be smack in the middle of, you'll be able to easily defeat him in the inevitable demonic duel to the death."

"I would," Chen asserts, looking offended that Minseok would even question the possibility.  "I'm a fucking badass.  But Taozi wouldn't try to fight me unless Krievis made him."

"Why not?  Are familiars forbidden to fight each other?"

"No.  But we're friends."

Minseok almost hurts his neck trying to stare at the demon behind him.  "Demons have friends?"

Chen snorts.  "Well, I don't know a better word for 'demons who are both continuously tortured by the cruel, twisted humans who summoned them, so they find some small satisfaction in hating the humans together.'"

Minseok wants to slump in disappointment, but he forces himself to keep his back straight and his expression neutral.  "Oh," is all he says, but of course the link betrays him.

"Why are you unhappy about that?  Did you imagine we had demonic slumber parties with sexy naked pillow fights?"

Minseok rolls his eyes, glad to have something to be indignant about.  "Of course not.  It doesn't matter.  What matters is finding the girls--or at least preventing any more from being victimized."

"If I had my fucking wings, I could do a better job of finding them for you," Chen grumbles.

"Is there a way you can get them back?"

"Not in this life."

"Then what if I put you in a helicopter?"

"I could look, but I wouldn't be able to hear or smell very well.  And I'm sure your minions already have night-vision and infrared and everything on their fancy toys."

"I insist on the best," Minseok confirms.

"Then the best thing I can do is feed you again so you'll be ready to go when they call."

The mention of feeding makes Minseok realize that he is indeed hungry, and also reminds him that he's sitting on Chen's naked lap.  "Ah, I still need to feed _you_.  I don't have any lube or anything here, but I could still--"

"You're not feeding me," Chen states.

Minseok sighs.  "Look, I know I said I didn't want to, but I was just... Being an ass.  You're my responsibility, and I'll fulfill the contract."  He keeps his eyes on the screen rather than the demon.  "I, uh.  I don't want you to starve."

Evidently sensing the conflicting feelings Minseok is doing his best to hide, the demon tightens his arms around Minseok's middle.  "I'm not gonna starve by skipping a meal.  You're in no condition to feed me right now, but it's not a breach of contract because we're in the middle of solving cases and stopping bad guys." 

Chen taps Minseok's hips, prompting the Chief Inspector to stand up, still feeling strangely regretful at being forbidden from doing a task he doesn't really enjoy doing in the first place. 

The demon pulls his pants on as he continues.  "But I am going to be sure to take care of you as well as possible, so you'll recover quickly and then I'll be able to have a proper feast." 

Properly dressed and fully human, he looks over at Minseok, offering a sweet smile that puts a disarming sparkle into those onyx eyes.  "So you just park your tiny little sugarbuns in your fancy chair while your good little kitty fetches whatever you need to fuel more squinting and scribbling and muttering."

Minseok scowls, because his squinting and scribbling is fucking important--at least on cases where his Police Consultant doesn't personally know the people directly involved.  "I want chicken," he informs the demon.  "Nice, crispy fried chicken that I can aggressively gnaw off the bone.  And bread--mocha bread.  And really fucking good coffee."

Chen's beautiful smile uncurls further across his cheeks.  "Anything else, my little princeling?"

Minseok lifts his chin imperiously.  "That will be all for now, my obedient little kitten," he coos, because demons don't have exclusive rights to condescending nicknames.

The demon chortles at the epithet.  "Oh, when the case is over, this kitten will take great delight in showing you his claws," he promises as he bounces out the door, whistling cheerfully.

Minseok waits a beat or two to make sure the demon isn't likely to burst back into the room, then he dives for the antibacterial towelettes he keeps around to clean his hands after indulging in things like fried chicken.  Armed with a wipe in each hand, the Chief Inspector frantically scrubs the demonic ass prints off his nice leather chair.

 

Two hours later, the demon's bare ass is once again in the Chief Inspector's nice leather chair, but this time those shapely cheeks rest on one of the thin pink disposable blankets the station keeps around so officers can drape them comfortingly over a victim's shoulders or swaddle a distraught infant or make a superhero cape for a traumatized child.  Minseok's own properly-clad cheeks rest on the demon's bare thighs once again, because the creature is convinced that the stoic, stalwart Chief Inspector is desperately in need of some serious coddling, and Minseok doesn't have time or energy available to argue with the beast.

Thankfully, a full stomach has made Minseok more tolerant of his familiar's aggressive management, as does the pile of naked chicken bones that Minseok gazes at occasionally, hoping they've become the desiccated remains of the ambassador's son and his cohort.  He's slowly nibbling on the excessive pile of mocha bread he's been provided with, despite the demon's constant teasing that the way he eats it makes him look like a wide-eyed little chipmunk.  In order to keep his nice clean office free of demonic goo, every time the urge to stab a particularly-sharp chicken bone through the demon's black-hole eye gets too strong, he just washes down his mouthful of delicious bread with a swig of really fucking good coffee.

He stares at the always-scrolling screen, negative search report after negative search report running into a near-continuous blur.  It's fully dark at this point, and Minseok's remaining hope has been doused along with the summer sun.  He knows better than to expect anything but bodies by now, but he's still determined to return these children to their parents, and the image of distraught Mr. Park's precious little girl lying alone and cold in the darkness is enough motivation to keep his eyes glued to the monitor.

It's harder and harder to focus, though, because the demon keeps swiveling the chair gently from side to side, and he's humming something low and slow right next to Minseok's ear.  Somehow, he's gotten turned in the demon's lap so that he's practically sideways, and it's rather difficult to see the screen clearly because of the way he's reclined against the demon's strong arm.

But it's not until the Chief Inspector yawns wide enough that he's half-afraid his head will split in two that he realizes his devious, insubordinate familiar has played him but good.

"You fucker," he forces around another yawn as he glares at his betrayer.  "You gave me decaf."

Chen's expression is unrepentant.  "Of course I did--you need to sleep.  Your phone is right there--you'll hear it if it rings."  The demon shifts Minseok a little in his lap, so that it would be really easy to lay his head against the curve of that beautiful neck.

"No.  Just no!  I am a grown-ass man!" protests the indignant Chief Inspector.  "It's bad enough that I'm sitting in your lap--I refuse to fall asleep in your arms like a baby."

"But you are a baby-- _my_ baby," Chen coos.  "I need to take good care of my baby, because he's incapable of doing so himself.  So I've made sure my baby's comfortable, and his tummy's nice and full, and I'll even sing my baby a lullaby, just like an angel."

"You're nothing like an angel," Minseok grumbles, but  _someone_  had the bright idea to make the demon smell enticing, and the closer his head droops to that shapely shoulder, the more he has to fight not to bury his nose against spicy-scented skin.

"I changed my mind," Minseok yawns, finally giving in to the urge to tuck his face against that intoxicating neck.  "I do actually hate you."

But they both know that's not truly how he feels, and he feels the demon gloat through their link at the thoroughness of his evil plan's success.  Accepting the inevitable, Minseok closes his eyes as Chen begins to croon something sweet and poignant in a melodic, lilting language Minseok doesn't think he's ever heard before.  Minseok wouldn't be surprised to learn that the lyrics are about devouring stupid naive humans, but since he can't understand, he can't dwell on anything other than the achingly beautiful tune and the way Chen's firm chest resonates against Minseok's side as the angel-impersonator sings him to sleep.

 

The Chief Inspector reaches for his ringing phone before his brain is actually conscious, and he's jolted to full awareness by the realization that the device isn't where it's supposed to be and neither is he.  Aided by unfocused vision, he manages to grab the shrilling object on the second attempt, letting his eyes close again as his fingers answer the call without his help.

"Please tell me that their faces look okay," Minseok rasps.

"I'd love to, Boss, but we haven't found any faces yet."

Minseok's stomach sinks--unlike that of poor Detective Oh, who seems to be retching violently in the background.

"Fuck," Minseok says, because what else is there?

"Double fuck," Detective Do agrees.  "I've sent one of the choppers back for you.  It should be there in less than ten."

"Perfect," Minseok says, but what's actually streaming through his mind is a steady stream of profanity and grief.

His living furniture seems to pick up on this, because arms pulls Minseok close, and Minseok wants so badly to have another set of shoulders to share his burdens with except he knows he's only being offered an illusion.

"Please stop," he manages to ask without his voice cracking.

"Why?" Chen's chest rumbles under Minseok's ear.

"Because you're breaking my heart and I can't deal with your bullshit right now," Minseok admits, struggling to his feet and pulling his jacket off the hook.  "If you're coming along, put your dick away--and the rest of your non-human bits, I guess."

He shrugs on his coat and heads for the door but is pulled up by a stab of pain down the link that is quickly simmered in anger.  He turns back to the demon, who is currently as un-demonic as he can be and obediently pulling on his pants.

"I'm sorry," Minseok sighs.  "You've been great--Really helpful.  And I know you're trying to take better care of me, and I appreciate all of it, and I shouldn't have taken my mood out on you like that."  He sighs again, hating the words he's about to say.  "I'll feed you however you want when we get home," he promises, expecting the link to brighten and looking up in surprise when it doesn't.

Half-expecting to be addressing an empty set of clothes, he's relieved to find Chen presentable and blank-faced at his back, the only sign of life those burning coals that are staring at him.

Minseok winces, but still gestures for the demon to precede him into the corridor so he can lock his office securely.  Chen drifts behind him as silent as a balloon on a string--if that balloon were capable of scalding someone through said string with bubbling frustration.  By the time they hit the stairwell to the roof, Minseok can't take it anymore.

"I'm sorry," he says again as they climb.  "I was rude to you after you did your best for me.  But the next several hours are about to suck enough without you pouring hot sauce all over my brain.  What do I need to offer you to dampen your flames a little?"

"How about an explanation?  Humans aren't the only ones who like those."

Minseok places his palm on the pad beside the roof access door, then pushes it open once the lock clicks off.  "An explanation for what?"  

The demon follows him out onto the gravel-covered surface.  "You weren't lying when you said you needed affection.  And you weren't wrong when you guessed that I'd have a problem with anyone else giving it to you.  I know you think I'm pretty, and the link goes all soft and squishy when you let me get close.  So why do you keep pushing me away?"

Minseok sighs, turning to face the rising sun.  He's a little surprised to see it, because that means he slept through the night in the arms of a half-naked demon, and he rarely sleeps through the night in his own comfy bed.  

"I'm sorry," Minseok says, because that is basically what his life has come to.  Apologize to the demon, apologize to the parents of the kids he couldn't save, apologize to the citizens of Seoul for letting some sick fuck with diplomatic immunity do whatever the fuck he wants in their city without repercussions.

He manages to make eye contact with Chen, because Minseok believes that if one is going to apologize, one should do it properly.  "I know it's not your fault.  I know you're making huge un-demon-ly concessions to try to meet my frail human needs and I really, genuinely appreciate that.  You're absolutely right--I'm being an ass.  I know I basically demanded affection, but it turns out that it hurts more to get it than it does not to, so I should probably rescind that request." 

"Why does it hurt?" the demon asks, meeting his gaze.

Minseok finds the intense stare and the strange sensations through their link too much to bear.  He turns to the northwest, which is the direction the approaching helicopter should appear from.  "Because it's not real," he answers.  "But that's not your fault, so I'll try not to hold it against you so much.  You're doing your best to hold up your end of our contract, and I will, too--I even ordered a violet wand for you.  It's a thing that lets you shock me with static electricity.  As long as you follow the safety guidelines for frail breakable humans and take care of any burns you give me, I'll agree to let you zap the fuck out of me while you feed."

"Why isn't it real?" Chen questions, just as the helicopter becomes visible in the distance.  "And why do you keep trying to placate me by offering me your body?"

Minseok blinks at him.  "Because my body is the only part of me that you value," he says, answering both questions with eyebrows raised, surprised that he's having to explain the demon to himself.

For once, it's the demon that breaks eye contact first.  "It's not," he says, scuffing the pebbles beneath his feet.  "I just... People who summon demons generally aren't what you'd consider 'nice.'  You're the first human I've been bound to that hasn't either ignored me outside of the contract, or deliberately tormented me.  You're the first human I don't want to hate, and I _would_ hate you if you found someone else."

Chen moves closer to Minseok, standing beside him to watch the helicopter grow rapidly larger.  "It may be un-demon-ly, but you'd be surprised at what I've been tasked with over the millennia.  I've learned how to forge paintings as well as the old masters.  I've learned how to hand-feed baby hunting eagles.  I've learned how to speak over a thousand languages.  If you need affection, I'll learn how give it to you, exactly the way you like."  He puffs out that gorgeous chest.  "I'm the best fucking familiar there is--no task is beyond my abilities."

Minseok smiles at his determination, but it doesn't reach his eyes.  How can he explain a need for genuine love to a creature incapable of feeling love in the first place?  "It's not a matter of being good at it.  It's more that, for you, it's just another task to be completed.  You're right that you're pretty, and if you were kind to me, it would be easy for me to feel soft and squishy things for you.  But you'll never feel soft and squishy things for me, and because we're connected, I can't even pretend that you do.  It would make me miserable to fall for someone that can't love me back, so that's why I push you away."

"That's just dumb," Chen declares, to Minseok's surprise.  "I might not feel soft and squishy, but that doesn't mean I don't feel  _anything_  for you.  You're mine--only mine, and I don't want to share you.  I care about your health and well-being, and I'll never let anyone harm you.  I do stupid human things just to make you happy.  You know I can never cheat on you, and you'll never find anyone better at making you come.  Why isn't this enough?"

Minseok has to raise his voice to be heard over the landing helicopter.  "Because you _have_ to take care of me--you need me to live," he shouts.  "It's not because you actually  _like_  me!"

"That's not true!" Chen yells back as they fight the draft from the whirling blades.  "You're the best human I've ever had, and I want to keep you forever.  You picking me up was the best luck of my entire existence!"

And then they're inside the helicopter, and Minseok has no time to think about his familiar's words because it's quickly apparent that the demon has never ridden in one before.  He has no idea what to do with all the straps and buckles, but he's absolutely bouncing in his seat as Minseok belts him in and places the headset over his ears.  He radios up to the pilot that they're ready, and then promptly reaches over and mutes Chen's microphone as the demon glues his face to the window and yells his excitement into the early morning air.  Minseok can hear his exultation even through the heavy noise-canceling earphones, and he assures the pilot that the consultant is just excitable and not about to be sick.

He's adorably childlike in his obvious unmasked joy, and Minseok finds himself grinning, enjoying the brightest emotion yet to blast down their link.  It has an undercurrent of sadness, though, and Minseok realizes Chen probably hasn't ever  _needed_  to ride in a helicopter if he's supposed to have his very own set of wings.  No wonder he's thrilled to get to fly again, even if it's not under his own power, and Minseok makes a mental note to abuse his Chief Inspector authority to get his consultant involved in as many helicopter trips as is remotely justifiable.

He's so caught up in the demon's delight that he almost forgets why they're in the helicopter in the first place, but he's jarred back into reality by the heavy police presence around what looks like a rusty iron gate set beneath a huge natural slab of granite.  The helicopter sets them down in a rocky clearing some distance away to avoid disturbing the evidence, and after a somber, five-minute hike through the woods they're welcomed to the scene by the thick metallic scent of way too much blood.

It's fucking  _everywhere_  as soon as they pull on plastic booties and step through the gate, and Minseok immediately changes his mind.  He's absolutely fine with weird shit at three a.m.  In fact, he'd insist on it if he could.  At the very least, it should be raining, dreary, and gray.  There's something world-shakingly _wrong_  about standing in the middle of an ancient holy site, watching poor Father Zhang reverently setting mangled pieces of meat that used to be vibrant little girls into one collective body bag to be sorted into the world's saddest jigsaw puzzle once he's back at the morgue, all the while listening to happy woodland birds chirping merrily in the background as the bright summer sun does its best to blast away the lingering darkness of the cave.  

And it's even  _more_  wrong to be greeted by his favorite detective, who is smiling an eerily-bright smile beneath bloodshot, sleep-deprived eyes, and triply wrong to have his demonic consultant inhale deeply and then spread those angelic lips into the wickedest of grins.

"It's not the girls," the two men inform him at the same time, setting Chen into peals of laughter as Minseok's eyebrows shoot beneath his bangs.

"Then who the fuck is it?"

"We think it's two adult males," Detective Do informs him.  "Although it will take a while to identify them."

"It's Kevreese," the demon chortles.  "And the Tiger--Oh, fuck, I've never been so fucking happy!"

Now it's the detective's turn to raise his eyebrows.  He looks at his Chief for clarification.

"Consultant Kim believes it's the perpetrators--the ambassador's son and his associate," Minseok explains.

Detective Do's eyes widen further, making them look in danger of vacating his skull, but then he too starts laughing.  "Oh, I knew I liked this guy. We should be able to get DNA samples from the Wu kid's parents, so IDing him should be easy enough, at least.  Do we have an actual name for the second perp?"

Minseok shakes his head, watching as a still-chuckling Chen approaches the center of what looks to be a bloody explosion.  He crouches, examining something on the ancient stone floor.  Then he stands up, following the largest smears and splatters of blood through the iron gate and out onto the mountainside where they trail off and eventually disappear.

"Where did you go?" he asks the air around him.

"The girls?" Minseok asks, having followed his consultant into the summer sun.

Chen glances at him, then points down the mountainside.  "No--the girls ran that way, all three of them.  Get one of the search and rescue dogs far enough away from all this blood and it should be able to find them.  They're too small to have gotten far, but they're fucking terrified, so they'll have gone to ground in the tiniest space they could all three fit in.  Send a cute dog, not a scary one, and send a woman if you can--they're not going to answer if a strange man calls for them."

"I don't fucking blame them," Minseok says.  "I'll send Officer Seo and the golden retriever along with Detective Byun--that's about as non-threatening as we've got at the moment."

The demon nods, crouching again to examine the ground as Minseok beckons over a still-green-looking Detective Oh to relay the Chief Inspector's instructions. 

"Stupid human form--I can barely read shit," Chen complains when the junior detective has scampered off, obviously grateful for an excuse to leave the immediate area.

"What are you trying to find?" Minseok asks, seeing nothing to distinguish the ground beneath the demon's gaze from any other patch of rocky forest floor.

"The lanius."

"The fuck is a lanius?"

"The demon they summoned--it would translate to 'butcher' in your tongue."

Minseok can certainly understand why.  "You're telling me they summoned a demon, it killed them but not the girls, and then it disappeared?"

"I'm telling you they used the girls to summon the demon--generally there's a sacrifice, offering, or binder added to the summoning circle to call, coerce, or control whatever is being pulled from the abyss.  In this case, it was three innocent little girls--probably drugged, if the mother's testimony can be believed--except they apparently weren't drugged enough, and they managed to disrupt the circle when they fled.  A disrupted circle means an uncontained demon, and most of my kind are downright pissy about being ripped from below to do a mere human's bidding."

"So did it go back to where it came from?"

"I don't think so," Chen shakes his head.  "I think the Mountain Rescue is going to see a sudden and dramatic uptick in reports of tiger attacks."

"But we don't even have tigers--" Minseok begins, but he's interrupted by the crackle of the radio at his hip.

"We got 'em, Boss," Byun's voice forms in the static.  "All three of them, and they're alive."


	7. Meowntain Rescute

Chief Inspector Kim Minseok runs his sturdy fingers through the long, silky strands of jet-black hair on top of his aching head, idly thinking it's about time for a haircut.  He rubs his palm against the back of his skull, confirming that the formerly-close-cropped areas of his scalp are becoming a bit shaggy.  He prefers to keep his appearance neat and professional, but of course, even a freshly-tidied haircut isn't going to help him look very professional at the moment.

He's shed his jacket and is laboring in his dirty shirtsleeves, huge patches of sweat darkening the pale blue cotton under his arms and across his chest.  The knees of his sharply-ironed navy trousers are shot, as is the skin on the heels of his hands, but it's all fucking worth it to see the glint of three sets of wide, terrified eyes reflecting the beam of his service torch.

They're absolutely filthy, their hair is tangled, and their faces are streaked with tears.  One has a bloody head wound that's coating her face with crimson, another is clutching an arm protectively to her chest, and the third is only placing weight on one leg--but they're all standing up, all cringing away from the ruckus above them, and most importantly, they're all fucking alive.

And they'd all started screaming the minute they'd seen the search dog's face poke through the tiny opening to the cave through which they'd fallen, their dolphin-like noises echoing off the damp stone walls that surround them and thankfully alerting the excited canine's human handlers that it had found more than an empty animal burrow. 

But the opening was too small for any adults to fit through, and the traumatized children wouldn't come anywhere near the rope harness they'd lowered down for them, so the Mountain Rescue had busted out their chisels and hammers and other extraction equipment, and everyone had taken turns slowly chipping away at the granite until they'd managed to widen it enough to allow a rescue worker to be lowered down to the girls.

Except of course that the kids had panicked like cornered mice, frantically scrambling around their living tomb until they'd hauled the worker up in fear that the children would injure themselves further.  So now everyone is watching intently as Police Consultant Kim Chen murmurs to the girls through the opening, tarpit eyes somehow soft and soothing, smile gently encouraging, chatting about cartoons and food and school.  He's been asking questions periodically during his gentle rambling, continuing on smoothly when they've gone unanswered, but when he asks the huddled figures who their favorite teacher is, a tiny voice squirms out of the darkness.

"Mrs. Choi," they hear, and they all collectively suck in their breath.  Minseok glares at them all to be quiet, even though he's just as guilty, and the forest is silent except for songbirds as they listen to the consultant engage with the child.

"I bet she's really nice.  Why is she your favorite?"

A pause.  "She lets us draw pictures."

"Ah, that sounds really fun.  Do you like to draw pictures?" 

A beat, then Chen continues as if he'd gotten a response--perhaps the girl had nodded. 

"I like to draw pictures, too, but I'm not very good.  I bet you're really good at it, aren't you?" 

Another pause. 

"Oh, I think you're just being modest.  Is she good at it?" 

A tiny giggle. 

"See, they think you're good at it--it must be true.  After we all go home, and you have a nice bath and something good to eat and your arm is all better, will you draw a picture for me?"

"Mommy doesn't like it when I draw.  She says it makes the refrigerator ugly."

Minseok's heart cracks, making him pretty sure the child Chen is talking with is Mr. Park's daughter, Mina.  He beckons Detective Byun over.

"Please tell me Mr. Park said something positive about his missing child that will get her to trust us," Minseok whispers to the similarly-sweaty, equally-disheveled man.

Detective Byun nods, blond hair flopping into his face, and Minseok gestures for him to join the consultant near the opening.

Cautiously so as not to startle the children, the detective slithers up on his belly next to Chen, who has also picked up on the child's identity and is assuring her that her daddy loves her artwork.  The consultant tilts his head toward the detective, and Minseok can see Byun's lips moving as he relays something to Chen.

"...in fact," Chen continues, "My friend Mister Byun just told me that your daddy calls you his little Mochi Mina, doesn't he?  Because he thinks you're just sweet enough to eat!"

Another tiny giggle.  "How does Mister Byun know that?"

"He's friends with your daddy.  Your daddy really misses you.  Would you like to get out of this icky cave and go see him?"

A pause.

"Do you think your friends want to go home, too?"

Another pause.

"Yes, it will be really good to go home, won't it?  You've been very brave girls.  Do you think you can be brave for just a little longer?" 

A whimper.

"I know, everything has been really scary, but that's all over now.  There are a lot of people up here that are very worried about you, and they're going to work hard to help you get home safely, so you don't need to be afraid anymore, okay?"

A long pause, but Chen just keeps smiling serenely into the opening, and eventually his smile broadens.

"What strong, brave girls you are.  Would you like to meet Mister Byun?  He's Mina's daddy's friend, and he'd like to come down and lift you out so you can all go home to your daddies.  Does that sound okay?"

Another pause, then another smile, and then Detective Byun is slowly poking his own face through the opening.

Minseok sighs in relief, wiping sweat off his forehead with his already-ruined shirt cuff.  Sure, they could have just grabbed the kids and hauled them out of there an hour ago, but they've suffered so much already--they don't need to have nightmares about being rescued on top of the ones about being kidnapped in the first place.  He's grateful that Chen can do his demonic persuasion thing--though it took far longer with the kids than it ever does with adults.  

In fact, Chen is still talking to the girls from the opening as Detective Byun is lowered down on a harness, reappearing several long minutes later with a bloody child clinging to his chest like a crimson koala.  She runs to the demon as soon as she's released from the safety straps, and he enfolds her protectively within his arms.

Minseok feels a strange twinge in his chest, and Chen must have felt his reaction because he looks up at the Chief Inspector and winks at him over the child's head.  Then the child and Chen are both talking down to the other two girls as the detective disappears into the darkness again, and soon Chen has two baby chicks sheltering under his wings.

Minutes later, the third child is brought up, and this one limps and skips to join the huddling group, looking at all the people and dogs and equipment around them with wide eyes from under Chen's guard.  He's still continuously murmuring, and the link is humming with protectiveness along with a growing current of vengefulness.

_Fuck_.  If Chen's urge to kill is rising, that could mean that those responsible aren't already dead, which could mean there were more than two people involved, after all, and one or more of them escaped the massacre in the cave.  Again Minseok abuses his scalp, wondering briefly if he'd break the habit if he cut his hair as short as Detective Do's, or if it's so ingrained he'll still do it even after he goes completely bald as Chen predicts.

There's some anxious whimpering from Chen's little brood as Detective Byun crouches close enough to cause alarm, but after more soothing murmurs and inane question-and-answer sessions about everything and nothing, the peeping chicks are transferred to their new mother hen.  Detective Byun carefully picks up the limping child as he ushers them all toward a waiting rescue copter, and Minseok overhears the detective's sweet voice promising snacks and drinks and blankets once they've soared back to the city.

 

When the helicopter full of precious cargo has disappeared over the treeline, Minseok finally heaves a sigh of relief, then indulges in a moment of hysterical laughter, making the officers around him look over at their Chief in concern.  But he doesn't care, because he has three live kids, they've managed to rescue  _live fucking kids_ , and all the pent-up adrenaline has to go somewhere and laughter is better than tears.

And then his crew is swarming him and they're all jumping up and down like idiots on the mountainside, Detective Do's heart-shaped grin competing for brightness with Detective Oh's adorable little smile, and Minseok promises to rent out the entire samgyeopsal restaurant until everyone even peripherally involved in this case has eaten their fill, because they brought home live fucking kids for the first time in he can't even remember.

Eventually, the flash mob of hugging breaks up into smaller clots as his team goes to pack up equipment and continue to gather and tag evidence, because it's not official yet that the victims are the perpetrators, and even if it were, Minseok suspects they'll have new perpetrators to track down once he debriefs his consultant.

The consultant in question is back at Minseok's side, the tension flowing down their link decreasing as more and more people stop touching the Chief Inspector and resume their official business.  Amused at this reminder that the demon is indeed attached to him, he turns to his talented little familiar.

"Thank you," he says, throwing all his gratitude and sincerity down their link.  "Really, a thousand times, thank you."

A squirming sensation flickers back.  "Eh, I didn't actually do much--I couldn't get you to them before the ritual, and the girls saved their own skins.  And your minions would have coaxed them out of the cave eventually without my help."

"But we wouldn't even have known they were here without your help.  The evidence in the system doesn't add up to Bukhansan at all-- _you_  made that connection.  How long do you think they'd have survived in that cave?  And do you think we'd have ever figured it out, with the perpetrators dead?  Some hiker would have found the gore when the trail re-opened next year, and the girls would've been skeletons by then."

Now the squirming is joined by a glow of pride.  "Well then, you're lucky to have such a fucking awesome familiar," Chen informs him, puffing out his chest.

"I really am," Minseok says.  "Three live children are worth all the clothespins in Korea.  Do what you will with me, my heroic little fiend."

But now Chen is frowning at him.  "You're gonna feed me well, anyway.  Promising to do what you've already promised to do isn't actually a reward."

Minseok blinks.  "Oh.  But I don't have anything else to offer you--unless you want me to take you out for meat every night for a month or something." 

"Meat is good," Chen acknowledges, "But I'd rather ride a rollercoaster."

Minseok doesn't blink.  For long enough that his eyes sting from lack of moisture.  "A rollercoaster?" he repeats, because he's not fully sure that's what the demon actually said.

"Yeah, a rollercoaster.  They look like fun--they make people scream, and I love screaming."

He says this like he doesn't already know coasters are fun, which sounds odd for someone who claims to have lived for millenia.  "Have you never ridden one before?"  Minseok asks.

Chen gives him a look.  "Do you think the sort of people who summon demons to do their bidding are the kind of people that let their familiars go on purely-recreational, non-violent field trips?"

Minseok smiles, because if Chen loved the helicopter ride, he'd probably enjoy the fuck out of a rollercoaster.  "Oh, but I absolutely will," he says.  "I'll buy you a Q-Pass ticket to Everland, and you can ride the T Express as many times as you want until the park closes."  

He starts to stroll back to the temple cave, ready to hold his breath and pitch in so poor Father Zhang can get off the mountain sometime before his next birthday.

Chen skips along beside him.  "Is that a rollercoaster?  Is it fast?"

Minseok can't help but grin at his familiar's excitement.  "The fastest in Korea, and one of the fastest in the world--over 100 kilometers per hour.  And the biggest drop is almost sixty meters, only 23 degrees away from being straight down."

Chen's skips are more like leaps.  "When can we go?"

Minseok chuckles, because their link is buzzing so much it almost tickles.  "Well,  _you_  could go by yourself anytime, I guess.  If you want me to go with you, my next day off is in two days."

"I want you to scream, too," Chen shouts gleefully, and Minseok is grateful they're alone among the trees.

He snorts.  "Of course you do--but I usually just laugh."

Chen grins back at him, lips parted as if to reply, but whatever he's about to say is cut off by a pathetic yowl from above them.  The demon looks up, one hand shielding his eyes from the midday sun.

"Taozi?" he calls, earning another yowl.  "Taozi!  I'm glad you're alright.  I didn't smell your blood so I figured--" 

This yowl is long and low and painful, and Minseok finally locates the source--a seal-point Siamese with piercing blue eyes, about twenty meters up in an evergreen tree.

"I know, but he was a total dick," Chen is saying.  "You'll find someone better, you'll be alright."

More yowling.

"Just get down here already."

A pathetic mewl.

Chen rolls his eyes.  "Really?  Do I have to come up there?"

A whimper.

Chen huffs.  "Fine, but if you claw me, I'm dropping you."

A hiss.

"Or you could change back and climb down yourself."

A low growl.

"Then shut up and cooperate," Chen concludes, dropping his pants.

Minseok facepalms.  He doesn't have to ask what's going on, because it's obvious Chen is about to become SuperCatboy and save his imp "friend" from the tree he's become stuck in.  He just hopes they hurry up before someone with eyeballs wanders along and asks the Chief Inspector why his star consultant is naked in a pine tree wearing cat ears and a tail.

But demons are apparently good at scampering about in trees--or at least, Minseok's demon is.  The other demon descends tucked under Chen's arm, looking very unhappy about the entire situation.  Chen hands the embarrassed-looking feline over to the Chief Inspector, who accepts the furry body with a glowing smile.

The cat is bigger than Minseok expected, probably close to seven kilograms--way bigger than kitty-Chen.  He's solidly-built, muscular and lithe, and his sapphire eyes contrast beautifully with his espresso-colored face and ears.

"Oh, look at  _you_ ," Minseok coos, booping noses with the handsome creature.  "You're just  _gorgeous_ , aren't you?"

The cat immediately starts purring like a diesel engine, but Minseok's own feline demon lets out an offended "Hey!"

Minseok looks over at Chen, who's in the process of pulling his clothes back on.  "What?" he asks the indignant creature.

"You're  _mine_ \--stop feeding him!"

Minseok makes a disgusted face.  "I'm not feeding him!  That would be super gross!"

"You  _are_  feeding him--imps are demons of pride, and you're stroking his ego right in front of me!"

Minseok looks guiltily back at the cat in his arms.  "Oh.  Sorry."

The Siamese--Taozi, Chen had called him--lets out a long kitty sigh.

"Sorry to you, too," Minseok murmurs.  "You're probably hungry, but as you can see, I'm on a tight leash."

Taozi looks up at him and Minseok would swear the creature snorted in amusement, except he's pretty sure cats can't actually do that.

"What am I gonna do with you?  Is this my thing now, finding demon cats at crime scenes?  Shit, am I attached now because I touched you?  My apartment's gonna get really fucking crowded if this keeps up."

Fully dressed once again, it's Chen's turn to snort.  "You're not attached.  You only got attached to me because Junmyeon never completed the ritual.  And Taozi doesn't need to be attached to feed, so we can just drop him on a street corner or something--he'll be fine."

Taozi lets out a pathetic little noise, and Minseok glares at his familiar.  "We're not abandoning him on a street corner!"

Chen glares back.  "Well, we're not taking him home!  He needs to eat, and I don't want you feeding him!"

Minseok rolls his eyes.  "If all I have to do is coo over him and tell him he's pretty, I don't see how you can object to that."

"You're mine!  If you want to coo over a demon and tell him he's pretty, you have your own familiar for that."

Minseok tilts his head at his familiar.  "Would you even like that?"

Chen scuffs his toe in the leaf litter beneath their feet.  "I wouldn't hate it," he says, throwing Minseok's own words back at him.

Minseok sighs.  "Fine.  If my ornery little kitten is going to throw a hissy fit about it, I won't feed Taozi.  But we still can't just abandon him--we have to find him a home."  He starts off toward the temple again, one demon cradled in his arms and another trotting at his heels.

"What, are you just going to put a sign up at the station--'Demon, free to good home?'" Chen asks, allowing Minseok to carry Taozi without complaint but draping a possessive arm around the Chief Inspector's shoulders.

"I don't know, but I already have one demon loose and unaccounted for in my city--I'm not deliberately releasing another one to cause mischief unsupervised."

Chen scoffs.  "You probably have thousands of demons loose and unaccounted for--one little imp isn't going to tip the scales toward total chaos."

Minseok frowns, unhappy with this news but not entirely surprised.  Like most pests, demons seem to follow the "where there's one, there's more" proverb.  But still--he's the Chief Inspector.  He can't knowingly turn creatures of the abyss loose in his city.  Yet Chen seems determined to make things difficult if he tries to keep Taozi himself.

"Okay then," Minseok decides.  "On the way home, we're going to stop and buy our new friend a harness and leash--"

The cat hisses in his arms.

"Just for appearance's sake.  I know that wouldn't actually hold you if you didn't want to be held, but this way you'll be a spoiled pet instead of a stray.  Then we'll go to eat at this little cafe I know.  It has outdoor seating, and it's right next to a popular park.  Passers-by will stop to pet you because you're so pretty--will that feed you okay?"

Taozi looks up at him and meows, and Minseok lifts his brows at his begrudging translator.

"He says that's fine."  

"Good.  Then he'll be able to turn human again--he's too hungry now, right?"

"That's why I had to haul his furry ass down, yes."

"And then we can lend him some clothes--"

Chen huffs.  "Good luck with that--Taozi's just as big in human form.  He's not gonna fit into anything of yours."

"And then we can buy him some clothes--"

Taozi meows again, making Chen curl his lip in disgust.  "You're such a diva."

Minseok lifts his brows at his familiar.  "What?"

Chen rolls his eyes.  "He says he wants Gucci."

"Is that food?" Minseok asks.

Minseok's familiar doubles over in laughter.  "I should have known from your closet," he guffaws.  He grins at the cat.  "The only brands this human seems to know are things like Adidas and Nike and whoever makes cop uniforms.  You are shit out of luck, little peach."

The cat lets out a disgruntled noise that abruptly cuts off as the gate of the defiled temple comes into view.

Taozi tenses in Minseok's arms, who hastens to reassure the creature.  "It's not there.  We don't know where it is, but it's not there."

Still, the Siamese emits an uneasy moan as they approach.

"We don't want anyone to see him, anyway," Chen remarks.  "So just put him down and he can hunker in a bush or something until we're done.  Then  _he_  can get shoved in an evidence box!"

Minseok rolls his eyes, but it's as good a plan as any.  "Sorry, Taozi.  I've got to help finish up in there, and Chen's supposed to be analyzing the weird shit, so you'll have to stay out here by yourself for a bit."

The cat rumbles an unhappy acquiescence, and Minseok sets him down near a hollow log.  "Maybe hide in there or something--don't let anyone see you.  We'll try to be quick."

Another grumble from the Siamese, then Minseok straightens up, heading over to the police ATV and the attached trailer full of crime scene analysis supplies.  He pulls on a full plastic haz-mat jumpsuit as Chen does the same, then they head back in to the gore-spattered site.

The scene that greets their eyes is just as oddly unnerving as it was the first time, but for rather different reasons.  A gleeful Detective Do is wielding a shovel he's evidently borrowed from the pile of equipment the Mountain Rescue had brought to dig the girls out of the cave, and he's attempting to use it to scrape gobbets of human remains from the ornate tiled floor and dump them into a body bag, much to the distress of Father Zhang.

"They were terrible human beings that wanted to murder children," the detective defends himself.  "They don't deserve your reverence."

"We don't know that for sure yet!  And they were still human beings," the holy doctor protests.  "Every human deserves respect."

Chen is doubled over with laughter yet again, so it's up to the Chief Inspector to rescue the situation as usual.  "We're here to help," he informs both of them.  "So while I entirely agree with Detective Do's sentiment on the matter and share his desire to finish this quickly, let's humor the good Father--it'll be easier for him to do his job if we don't mangle the pieces further while collecting them, and with the four of us, it shouldn't take too long."

The detective shrugs and sets the shovel aside, and the grateful holy man gives Minseok a kiss on the cheek, sending a zing of jealousy down the link.  Minseok attempts to send reassurance back, but he notices his familiar eyeing the priest resentfully as they spread out to photograph and collect the rest of the remains.

Of course, it takes far longer than any of them hope to gather every last piece of former humanity into one body bag or another, and when they're done, the sun has started to sink over the mountains once again.  They help the doctor-priest to haul the body bags to the nearby clearing and load them onto the waiting helicopter, then they strip off their protective garments and place them in a biohazard bag to be incinerated.  

Minseok doesn't forget to grab an evidence box for their living piece of evidence, planning to pump his new "anonymous source" for as much information as possible about these terrible human beings and what the remainder might be planning next--specifically, what, if anything, they plan to do about the demon loose in the national park.

Taozi is hunkered miserably in the log where they left him, and he lets out a long kitty sigh as he trades one undignified habitat for another.

"Sorry for leaving you so long," Minseok says again.  "And I'm even more sorry that I'm about to take you on a helicopter--it's going to be noisy, but I need you to stay quiet and behave yourself, okay?"

Minseok doesn't need his familiar to translate the forlorn little huff from the Siamese, so he gently puts the lid on the box.  With one demon crouching sadly in a box and one demon bouncing in merry anticipation at his side, Minseok makes his way back to the clearing to await the aerial lift off the mountain.

 

Forty-five minutes later, Chen is once again doubled over in laughter, but this time it's because Taozi really did  _not_  enjoy the helicopter ride (unlike Minseok's familiar, who once again howled his joy with his nose smashed to the glass).  He's soiled the box--and himself--in every possible manner of fluid, and is a seething mass of angry cat beneath strings of drool, patches of vomit, puddles of urine, and chunks of feces.  He even broke a toenail struggling to maintain purchase on the cardboard, and is spattered in blood to prove it.

"Well, nobody's gonna coo over you like this," Minseok mutters.  "You'll have to endure a bath."

The Siamese just emits the most pathetic little noise as Minseok directs him to hop from the soiled box into a clean one, sending the still-giggling Chen to dispose of the ruined box in the dumpster behind the station while the Chief Inspector changes into clean, hole-free clothes.  When he returns (and freshens up himself), Minseok bundles them all into the car, making Chen hold Taozi's box in the footwell between his shins as Minseok transports them to a do-it-yourself pet grooming place his phone's GPS has told him is nearby.

This turns out to be the answer to all of their troubles, because as soon as the Chief Inspector sets the pathetically-whining evidence box near the stainless steel sink he's rented and opens the lid, allowing Taozi's sad little face to peek out, he's surrounded by shop employees and sympathetic customers that all want to help restore the big Siamese to his former glory.  Minseok just stands back and lets the creature soak up all the attention, eating up all the praise for being such a good, cooperative boy for his bath, being such a brave cat for the blow drier, and being such a calm kitty for the trimming of his ragged claws. 

Then he's brushed and fluffed and graced with a big red satin bow that sets off his creamy coat, near-black points, and bright sapphire eyes as perfectly as if he was a feline runway model, which he does his best impression of as he struts around, bumping his head against all the members of his new fan club as if to thank them for their hard work.  Minseok verbally thanks them for said hard work, leaving an enormous tip for them all to share, because any time he doesn't have to personally scrub shit or vomit off of anything, he's willing to pay handsomely for the privilege.

He then quizzes the beast through their interpreter for his clothing sizes before leaving the preening, fluffy, peach-scented cat outside a boutique to sit on Chen's lap and continue to get fed by passers-by, most of which are susceptible to one demon's face or the other.  Minseok is a little annoyed that Chen gets to flirt with random people and Minseok gets yelled at for cooing at a cat, but he supposes the difference is that Chen  _can't_  do more than flirt, and Minseok now strongly suspects that he _could_ , if he wanted to either brave the demon's wrath or command him to suck it up and deal with it.

But he finally has time to think about his demon as he flips through the designer clothing on the racks, and he's decided Chen is right.  He already has all the elements of a passionate relationship:  loyalty and jealousy, affection and overprotection, companionship and bossiness, steaming hot sex and screaming hot fights.  Does it really matter that it's motivated by physical needs on one side and emotional needs on the other?  Especially because, unlike too many other passionate relationships his coworkers have intervened in, it's virtually impossible for things between them to end in infidelity or stalking or murder.

Besides, Minseok could really get used to someone feeding him actual nutritious food on a regular basis, or at least reminding him to do so himself, and he admits that having someone nag or fuck him into getting regular sleep would be a good thing as well.  Chen is also comfortable to cuddle with, adorable when he's happy, and hot as fuck all the damn time.  Minseok really could do worse.

So he's cheerful as he brings his selections to the register, goggling a bit at the price and adding yet another reason to appreciate his own familiar rather than this more fashion-conscious creature he's evidently baby-sitting.  By the time all of this is done, it's time to show up at the samgyeopsal restaurant to feed his crew, the owner of the shop having been thrilled to receive the Chief Inspector's call earlier in the day.  He's not sure what he's going to do with his new demonic ward while he rewards his team for their hard work, but evidently Chen has been doing his own thinking while waiting with the Siamese.

"Let's bring him with us," he says as soon as Minseok steps outside with the bags containing his purchases.

"To the restaurant?" Minseok confirms.

"Yeah--we can say he's my cousin--not that much of a lie--and say he's fallen on hard times--totally not a lie--and needs a place to stay.  He's bunking with me for a while--also not a lie--but I don't have room to house him comfortably long-term--still not a lie, because he's not sharing your bed and he's too tall for your couch.  He's bright and sociable when he wants to be--he'd rather live as a human than a cat, so he needs to practice being a human."

The cat is nodding along as Chen continues.  "He can stay human indefinitely as long as he's well-fed--his former human hated feeding him, so he'd send him to dance or do acrobatics on the street, getting praise from passers-by and earning some cash--which of course was confiscated.  So he can do that again to stay fed, and this time keep the cash--then he can afford a place to stay so he won't have to sleep on the streets."

Minseok lifts his eyebrows, impressed with Chen's plan to neatly (and semi-humanely) rid their lives of the new interloper.  "That could work," he allows.  "I mean, he'll need a roommate to afford anywhere on a busker's income, but if he's good at being a human, we can put an ad out or something.  And for now at least, having him human and well-fed will allow me to get more info from him, so, sure, let's introduce him to my crew."

 

They duck into a public bathroom, and Chen hangs the bags of clothing on the hook on the back of a stall door.  He tugs Taozi from Minseok's arms, setting him on the floor. 

"Change," Chen commands the cat, then he captures Minseok's face between his palms.  He licks his lips twice and swallows, and then he's pressing his beautiful mouth against Minseok's very surprised one.

"I'm not feeding you here!" the Chief Inspector hisses around his familiar's urgent lips.

"I'm not feeding--he's pretty and he's naked and you're mine so I'm reminding you."

Minseok rolls his eyes at his familiar's possessive ridiculousness, but Chen is a damn good kisser, and Minseok's stress and adrenaline needs to be burned up by an activity more vigorous than laughing.  So he gives in to his familiar's petty jealousy and leans into the kiss, humming happily and nibbling on the irresistible demon's lower lip.

"How can you lick your own ass and still taste so fucking good?" Minseok wonders between aggressive lip-locks.

"I haven't licked my own ass in days," Chen scoffs. "Plus you bought me a toothbrush."  He captures Minseok's mouth again.

"I'm fucking brilliant," Minseok sighs against firm lips.

"You're fucking scrumptious," Chen corrects, growling into the kiss.

"I'm fucking dressed now," a new voice offers.

Minseok jumps as if caught doing something wrong, but guilt is blown away by astonishment as he whirls to face the voice--only to have to look up (and up and up) to see the creature's face.  In human form, Taozi is tall and lean with a dangerous air.  His black hair is cut into edgy, uneven spikes, his eyes are just as dark and piercing as Chen's, and his lips are similarly flicked-up on the end--Minseok wonders if that's because they're both cats or if all demons constantly look like they're on the edge of a smirk.

He looks like a glamour-goth punk in the mostly-black ensemble Minseok chose, but thankfully it works well with his edgy features.  Minseok's favorite detective had told him once that, when in doubt in the fashion world, go with all black, and so far the rule seems to be a good one.  Minseok did break the rule a bit by adding some silver in the studs on his leather jacket and the sequins spangling the silky tank top he's wearing underneath, because he figured that the attention-loving creature would appreciate a little bling to attract the eye of potential praise-dispensing humans.  The black jeans hug him like a second skin, and the black leather combat boots have silver hardware that goes well with the leather coat.

"Taozi!" Chen crows, bouncing forward to be clasped in too-long arms.  "I really am glad you're okay--that fucking asshat deserved what he got, but you--and now you're free!"

"Now I'm homeless," Taozi whines.  "Why can't I stay with you and your pretty little human?  He has decent taste in clothes, so I'm willing to forgive him for the box incident."

"He's  _my_  pretty human--get your own!"

"How exactly am I supposed to do that?  And since when does a familiar get a say in what his human does?" 

"Because my human cares what I think--he's actually  _nice_!"

"Liar."

"Minseokkie, tell him you're nice!"

But "Minseokkie" is doubled over with laughter, in no condition to tell anyone anything.  The two demons may  _look_  like humans, but they still  _sound_  just like a pair of squabbling alley cats.

"You broke your human, DaeDae."

"Nuh-uh, he does that sometimes."

"You broke him by calling him such a disrespectful name, and now you're gonna get it."

"No way, he's fine--he likes me!"

"Liar!" 

"Fine, he  _usually_  likes me.  But I'm gonna make him like me _all_  the time."

"Impossible," Taozi sneers.  "No one could like  _you_  all the time!"

A twinge of something shoots down the link, and Minseok's protective nature engages without a conscious decision on his part.

"It's true though--I do usually like him.  And I _could_ like him all the time, if I let myself."

The link glows with pride and satisfaction and Chen bounces over to drape a proprietary arm around Minseok's neck.  "See?  I told you he's nice!  And he's mine, and I'm keeping him!"

Taozi stares at the pair of them, shock and envy scribbled all over his face.  "How the fuck did you get a  _nice_  human?  I want a nice human!  DaeDae, find me a nice human!"

But "DaeDae" just grins at him smugly.  "I think he's the only one," he declares, and the taller demon's face falls.

Minseok elbows his trollish little fiend.  "I am not," he assures Taozi.  "There are lots of us, and I'm about to introduce you to a bunch.  They're police officers, so you have to be on your best behavior.  And if you make a friend, you'll have to stay as a human all the time around them--you can't let nice people know you're a demon--or a cat."

Taozi nods.  "I can be good.  Tell him, DaeDae."

"He can be good," Chen confirms.  "And he will," he adds ominously.

Taozi nods again.

"Alright then," Minseok allows.  "Let's go eat some meat."  He pulls the bathroom door open, gesturing for the demons to exit.

"Human meat?" Taozi asks, excited. 

Minseok gives the taller demon an appalled look.  "No!  it's pork.  Pig.  You'll like it--Chen loves it."

"It's good," Chen confirms.  "Nice humans don't eat human meat, Taozi.  You have to blend in with nice humans now."

"I will," the taller demon promises, much more child-like in mannerisms than Minseok's often-juvenile familiar, despite his much greater height.

Taozi grabs Chen's hand and bounces happily beside him, and Minseok grabs Chen's other hand because he doesn't need any more incidents with demons walking right the fuck out into traffic.  Chen evidently remembers where the restaurant is, because he's cheerfully dragging the other two along in his wake, one giggling and skipping and pointing at things as they pass and the other rolling his eyes and trying to look out for all of their safety.  Minseok is grateful that a sober guy attempting to control his intoxicated friends isn't that uncommon of a sight in this area of Seoul, so people hardly give the trio a second look as they make their way to the restaurant.

It's already overflowing with Seoul's finest, clumps of people spilling out onto the patio, many folks hopping from table to table to socialize with everyone.  They shove their way through and find the booth where Detective Do and Detective Byun have Detective Oh pouring soju for them, and the adaptable rookie pours three more glasses as they approach.

They're welcomed with cheers and slaps on the back, but Minseok's smile droops to a frown as a face he expects to see isn't present.

"Where's Father Zhang?" he asks Detective Do.

The detective shrugs, shoveling more perfectly-cooked samgyeopsal into his mouth.  "He said he wasn't interested in meat for dinner for some reason."

Minseok winces, noticing that Detective Oh is nursing a bowl of rice and kimchi.  "Fair enough.  I'll send him an airline voucher instead.  He always says he doesn't see his mother enough."

Detective Do smiles, big round eyes lighting up.  "He'll love that.  And he deserves it--that was a nightmare scene."

Minseok nods, trying to put it out of his head enough to enjoy his own meat. 

The demons are, of course, not having any such trouble.  A preening Chen is showing a rapt Taozi how to cook the slices of pork, and Minseok smiles at the feline pair. 

Detective Do follows his gaze,  "Who's the new kid?" he asks, mouth full of pork.

"Consultant Kim's cousin," Minseok answers, hating the lie but completely unable to tell the truth.  "He's showing him around Seoul while the kid looks for a place to stay."

"He can stay with me," comes a voice from the end of the table where Detective Oh is staring at Taozi as if he'd just broken through to Pharaoh's treasure.  "I'm looking for a roommate."

Minseok lifts an angled brow.  This could get interesting in a hurry.  He hopes Taozi likes fluffy, white dogs--and not to eat.

Still, the Chief Inspector's protective instincts kick in.  "You don't even know him," he chides his rookie.

Detective Oh shrugs.  "He's related to a police consultant--he can't be that bad, right?"

Minseok presses his lips together.  "He seems decent enough, but if he gives you any problems, you can call Consultant Kim and he'll straighten him out for you," Minseok promises.

"I'd have to get his number," Sehun shrugs.

_I'd have to get him a phone_ , Minseok realizes.

"Does he have a lot of stuff?" Sehun asks.  "Because my spare room is fully furnished already."

"None, actually," Chen contributes, having looked up from his extra-rare meat when he caught on to the topic of conversation.  "He's starting fresh, aren't you, Taozi?"

Taozi nods, a strip of meat hanging out of his feline mouth.  "It's really kind of you to offer," demon says, tone respectful and polite.  

"You're more than welcome--I'm Oh Sehun.  You're uh... I like your jacket."

"Thanks!" Taozi says.  "It's new."  He looks the junior detective up and down.  "You look really nice in that uniform," he adds.

Detective Oh blushes a lovely pink.  "Th-Thanks," he mumbles to his kimchi.

Detective Byun is looking back and forth between the two with a huge rectangular grin on his face, then shuffles everyone out of the horseshoe-shaped booth (except Detective Do, because his self-preservation instinct is evidently intact) so that he can shove Taozi in next to the rookie and plunk himself down beside Minseok, Chen quickly claiming Minseok's other side.

Taozi happily crowds into Detective Oh's personal space, making the young man blush further and poke at his rice with his chopsticks.

"Are you nice?" the demon asks.  "I hope you're nice."

"I... think I'm nice?"  Detective Oh answers, uncertain eyes landing on his boss for help.

"He's nice," Minseok assures both of them, but then he crosses his arms firmly over his chest.  "But Taozi--Sehun is _my_  detective," he declares, emphasizing the ownership.  "DaeDae says he's more powerful than you, so I better never hear a single complaint about you from Detective Oh."

Taozi cringes a bit.  "I'll be good--I'll be the best roommate ever."

"You better," Chen adds around a mouthful of meat.

Detective Byun is grinning happily at the rookie and his new friend.  "They're adorable," he whisper-yells to Minseok.  "I hope they invite us to the wedding."

Minseok rolls his eyes, but he's smiling fondly at the meddling detective.  "It's a bit early for that.  But I'm glad to see you--I wanted to personally thank you for your efforts today.  I'm sure the parents were ecstatic to see their girls."

"They were!" Detective Byun gushes.  "Mr. Park especially.  He feels so guilty, and he's determined to be a better father."

"Is he out of work or something?" Minseok asks, amused and appreciative when properly-cooked-to-human-standards meat is deposited on his plate from his other side.  He sends a pulse of lust and promise down the link, rewarded with an answering pulse of ownership and amusement.

"On the contrary--he works very hard.  His wife--soon-to-be ex-wife, for obvious reasons--just doesn't consider a street band a decent job."

Minseok frowns.  "That must be hard--even if he's good, that's such an unreliable income stream."

"Only because he's terrible at marketing and promotion.  He is actually very good, but so are a lot of others.  He needs a proper performance venue, and something flashy to catch the eye of the crowds."

Minseok nods as he chews.  The meat really is perfectly cooked, and he's really pleased when more magically appears on his plate.  

"But lucky for him, my uncle runs a club, and they're always looking for new acts.  Their music would be perfect--they just need to find a dancer or something to add to the group--someone acrobatic that can do flips and stuff to get the crowd fired up."

"I can do flips," Taozi pipes up from Detective Byun's other side.  He looks sheepishly at Detective Oh, then at Chen.  "And, uh, I guess I need a job if I'm supposed to pay rent," he adds.

"I can cover you for a month or so until you're back on your feet," Detective Oh offers immediately.  "I mean, I've been paying the rent by myself this far, so..."

"You really are nice," Taozi gushes, plopping his head on the blushing detective's shoulder.  "I'll be the best roommate, and I'll be the best stage-flipper if you give me a job," the demon promises, giving Detective Byun big, sincere eyes.

Detective Byun smiles at the earnest entreaty.  "Well, really it'd be Chanyeol--Mr. Park--that would be hiring you.  But I can introduce you--we're taking his daughters out for ice cream this weekend.  Maybe we can meet you somewhere?"

Minseok smiles happily at his magically-refilling plate, letting the people around him solve all his problems for him.  He feels Chen's hand land on his knee under the table, and he favors his familiar with a smile as well.

"Thanks," he says, because that's what his life has come to.  Thank a demon, thank his crew, and thank fuck things in his life finally seem to be settling into a sustainable situation.  

He leans a little closer, letting his appreciation and desire flood their link.  "When can I feed you?"

There's an answering swell of lust and hunger but it's quickly reined in.  Chen looks him up and down, lip trapped between his teeth in consideration.  "I guess tonight, if you really want and I'm not too greedy.  But I can wait until tomorrow--you could still use some more sleep."

Minseok flicks his eyes to his too-observant crew, but they're listening intently to Detective Byun tell them all about how the girls were tearfully received by their families and how the doctors said they would all heal well from their injuries--evidently caused only by their flight through the woods and their fall into the cave.

Still, the Chief Inspector leans so close to his familiar that his lips are almost touching the demon's human ear, causing Chen to shiver as Minseok's breath fans over him.  "Can I fuck you without feeding you?"

Chen swallows, still facing his plate of meat.  "I don't know--I've never tried that before.  But I think you'd still release at least _some_  energy even if I didn't deliberately draw it out, so it'd be a waste if I just let it go."

Minseok smiles.  "Then I guess you're getting fed when we get home," he murmurs as he resumes his meal, enjoying his demon's sharp intake of breath.

"Best human ever," Chen sighs happily, wiggling a little at his side as he puts more perfectly-cooked meat on Minseok's plate.  "Eat more--you're gonna need it."


	8. Pawsitive ID

Chief Inspector Kim Minseok prides himself on being a safe driver, but it's extremely hard to keep his hands off his beautiful demon while he transports them (at the legal speed limit) to their building.  They've sent Taozi home with Detective Oh as a trial run, promising to pick him up in the morning if it doesn't seem like a good fit, but fully expecting the needy imp to completely ingratiate himself with the shy detective by the end of the night.

Which leaves Minseok free to ingratiate himself to his own needy demon, and he practically drags a giggling Chen through the lobby, waving in acknowledgement to his favorite security agent who reminds him about his cat's paperwork being due.

As soon as the elevator door closes, Minseok is laughing at his familiar's frown.  "I've already got it scheduled," he informs the beast.  "You're getting a jab in the ass tonight, and another one tomorrow!"

Chen narrows his eyes.  "Is that how you think this is gonna go?"

"Yup," Minseok says with confidence.  "Because you're only supposed to be draining me a little bit, so I'm pretty sure that means I get to top."

"I could feed a lot even if you topped," Chen grumbles, but that only makes Minseok's smile widen further.

"Good to know," he grins, cackling as the demon realizes exactly how he's trapped himself.

"You said I could have you however I want," Chen reminds him.

Minseok nods.  "I haven't forgotten.  But you're a responsible little incubus, so you're gonna wait until my reservoirs are topped off again.  Maybe after the rollercoaster in two days?  That should have me nice and adrenaline-filled for you."

Chen's eyes light up as the elevator doors slide open.  "I can't fucking wait," he crows, running down the hallway and bouncing impatiently as Minseok lets them in.  

As soon as the apartment door is safely shut behind them, Minseok has his giddy little demon crowded against it, inhaling the spicy scent of his skin as he works his lips down the elegant column of Chen's neck.

"You're so fucking beautiful," he breathes.  "You know I want you all the fucking time."  

Chen moans as Minseok does his best to suck his mark against the demon's throat, curious as to whether it would disappear once he's fed or not.  As he works his lips and tongue and teeth over the sensitive skin, his fingers are busy unbuttoning that so-proper shirt, eventually sliding beneath it to firmly pinch the demon's nipples.

"Where are your clothespins now, my pretty ChenChen?" Minseok purrs.  "Maybe someday I'll shred your nerves with them in revenge, starting with these little nubbins."

Chen moans at the suggestion, and Minseok's lips curve into a smile against the demon's shoulder.  "Oh, would you like that, sweet little Chenny?  Do you want your pretty little human to tear you the fuck up?"

Their link indicates that the demon would, in fact, like that, and Minseok's grin widens.  "Then we'll have to do that sometime.  Maybe I'll even tie you up first, and command you not to try to get away as I have my wicked way with your gorgeous fucking body." 

Minseok runs his palms up over the demon's shapely shoulders, shrugging the unbuttoned shirt off of that gorgeous fucking body.  Then he steps back and just looks.  Just stares hungrily at the beautiful figure sliding down his door, at all that smooth skin, all that warm muscle, at the angles and curves and planes that are flexing in unison as the demon pants his desire into the night air.

Letting all of his lust flood their link, Minseok drags his eyes up to Chen's half-closed ones.  "If you had chosen your form specifically to turn me on, you could not have done a better fucking job," he informs his familiar.  "So fucking hot, my Chenny-Chenny.  I'm so lucky to get this body to play with--to do whatever the fuck I want with, isn't that right?"

Chen nods, and Minseok steps forward again, undoing the demon's pants and sending them sliding to the floor.  The demon, as usual, has forgone underwear, so his leaking cock springs out already, begging for Minseok's attention as his leathery tail manifests to lash against the door.  And Minseok obliges, fisting the demon's cock more tightly than he imagines is strictly comfortable.

"Look at this pretty cock," he crows.  "So fucking perfect, and just for me.  All of this gorgeous fucking body is just for me, isn't it?"

Another breathless nod, black horns curving among disheveled locks.

"What should I do with my demon's gorgeous fucking body?  Should I wrap my human lips around this pretty cock?  Hmm?  Do you want your pretty little human on his knees for you?"

A flare of lust so bright Minseok almost shields his physical eyes burns up their link, and Minseok growls as he claims Chen's lips, the lack of tingle indicating that his demon has managed to refrain from producing any ardor-enhancing venom.  "Oh, you'd just fucking  _love_  that, wouldn't you?  Your master serving you well?" 

Another pulse of lust, and Minseok laughs.  "Because that's what I am, right?  You never say it, because I'm sure you hate the word, but I _am_ your master, aren't I?  And you're subject to my will.  So you're fucking  _lucky_  that my will includes sucking your soul out through your dick--oh, do demons even have souls?"

Chen nods.

"Good to know--prepare to say goodbye to yours."

And with that, Minseok engulfs that perfect cock with his mouth, loving the moan Chen releases, loving the lightning sizzling along their link, loving the power he feels from undoing such an incredibly sexy, strong creature with just his human lips.

Chen is having a hard time handling it, struggling to keep still, tail vibrating against his thigh, hands twitching at his sides, and Minseok decides to spoil his little beast further.

"I know what you want, little demon," he purrs.  "You want to fuck this human's face, don't you?  You want to slam that pretty cock down my throat and feel me swallow around you, don't you, ChenChen?"

But that's too much for his demon, and he's just whimpering and panting and writhing against the door, hands pressed flat against the steel.

"Do it, Chenny.  Skullfuck your pretty little human until you bathe my tonsils in hot demon jizz," Minseok commands, and Chen is almost sobbing with lust as he obeys.

He cradles Minseok's face in his hands, fucking into the human's mouth while whining and yelling and whimpering, increasing in depth and pace until he's thrusting hard and Minseok's nose and lips bounce off Chen's soft, curly hair with each stroke.

Minseok can't talk with a dick in his mouth but he growls and moans, vibrating the throat the demon is pounding into until the link indicates he's seconds away from orgasm.  Minseok grabs Chen's perfect ass and pulls his hips sharply forward, swallowing repeatedly as the demon shouts his name and does his best to drown the human in come.

While the demon is still weak and disoriented from his orgasm, Minseok picks him up, cradling him in his arms and carrying him down the hall to the bedroom.  "Your human is going to fuck you in a proper bed for once," Minseok informs him, "And you're going to come again as I hammer your prostate into your throat."

He tosses the moaning demon onto the bed, then strips before clambering after him, tossing his clothes in the general direction of the hamper and not even looking to see if they made it anywhere near their intended destination.  He only has eyes for Chen, who is already presenting himself, chest flat on the bed, tail arched over his back and ass pushed up and out into the air, waiting for Minseok's attention.

And Minseok gives it to him, grabbing the bottle of lube from the nightstand and prepping him slowly and thoroughly, more to tease him and give him time to recover from his first orgasm than because he really needs it.  But Minseok enjoys it, enjoys stroking sensitive flesh and firm muscle and electrified gland, enjoys the demon's whimpers and whines and moans as his fingers coax life back into his familiar's spent dick, much more quickly than a human would be able to respond.

When Chen is once again hard and leaking pre-come onto the sheets, Minseok slams himself inside, loving the shrieking sob and the accompanying lusty zing down their link.  Without waiting for the demon to adjust, he sets a brutal pace, angling his hips to pound his cock directly into the demon's special spot.

"Fuck, you're always so tight and ready for me, aren't you, my little demon?  Always ready to take your human's cock so well, always ready to be fed, hungry to be filled.  You fucking  _love_  taking my cock, don't you?  You love feeling me pulse and pump my load inside your cute little ass, isn't that right?"

Chen is writhing against the bed, tail whipping above his head, moaning and nodding and sobbing around the fist he's jammed in his mouth.  

"Are you gonna come again for me, my gorgeous little familiar?  Are you gonna come a second time on your human's cock?"

And Chen is nodding and gasping and then screaming as his orgasm hits and he's clenching around Minseok's cock, spurting his satisfaction all over the sheets as Minseok holds him up by the hips long enough to fuck his come deep into the demon's body, imagining he's filling his familiar to the brim as he releases all the tensions of the last two days.

"Fuck, Chen," Minseok pants as his body throbs again and again.  "Fuck, you're so fucking good,  _Fuck_!"

And then Minseok is collapsing onto the sheets, body made of jelly, eyelids made of lead.  "Don't let me wake up sticky," he commands.  "Don't let me wake up in dirty sheets with clothes all over the floor."

Chen chuckles, tucking himself against Minseok's side.  "I know, my finicky little princeling," he pants.  "I'll always take good care of you," he promises, and it's enough of a reassurance for Minseok to let his consciousness abandon him in the demon's arms.

 

And he does indeed wake up clean and comfortable, in fresh sheets, with the smell of breakfast in the air--and gently-chuckling lips pressing against his face.  It's a beautiful dream, and Minseok reminds himself he's decided to live it, so he throws an arm out to pull a warm and wiggling body down into the bed with him.

"What, no retaliatory hatred today?" Chen laughs.

Minseok grunts and shakes his head against the pillow.  "Too much effort," he mumbles.  "'M stuck with you, so 'M gonna like it," he informs his familiar.

The demon chuckles, nuzzling his face.  "But I've been informed that no one can like me  _all_  the time," he says.  "Are you still gonna like it when I fight with you and rile you up?"

Minseok tugs the demon closer, throwing his leg over the laughing figure he still hasn't opened his eyes to see.  "'F you're a brat, 'M just gonna pin you down and fuck the hell outta you," he informs the beast in his grasp.

More laughter.  "Wow,  _all_  of the hell?  That's gonna take a lot of fucking."

"I can do it," Minseok asserts.  "Just give me a minute... Or an hour... Or three..."

Chen's laughter rumbles from his chest into Minseok's.  "Nope, no more fucking for a while.  You gotta eat and then go do all your post-case paperwork like a good little Chief Inspector so that we can go ride the rollercoaster tomorrow!"

Minseok smiles, pressing a kiss against whatever part of Chen is smashed up against his face.  "You're gonna fucking love it," he promises his familiar, then finally forces himself to open his eyes.  

It turns out that it's Chen's cheek he's just kissed, and the demon is beaming at him from centimeters away, smile brighter than the sun.  Minseok hisses and closes his eyes again in self-protection.

"The fuck are you so happy about?" he asks.

"It came!" Chen crows.

"What did?"

"The wand thingie!  It came yesterday--the security guy left you a message while we were gone."

Minseok sits straight up, eyes wide open.  "The violet wand?  How did he know what it was?"

"He just said it was a package.  But I went down and got it while you were sleeping, and if a violet wand is a thing to let me zap the fuck out of you, than that's totally what this is!"  Chen is bouncing on his knees in the bed, dressed in the boxer-briefs he'd modified so his tail could emerge.  The tail in question is feline and twitching excitedly, and the matching velvet ears are standing straight up and pointed right at Minseok.

"You opened it?" he asks, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Yeah, the box was just a blank white one with your address.  But you said you'd ordered me a thing and cats are curious and so I opened it and I already read all of the instructions and I'm totally prepared to torture you without killing you!"

Minseok cracks half a grin at his familiar's brutal excitement.  "Hooray," he states unenthusiastically, prompting Chen to burst into laughter again.

"You shouldn't buy me toys if you don't want me to play with them," he lectures, then tugs Minseok the rest of the way out of bed.  "Go eat!  You need to build up your strength--this thing looks really fucking intense.  You really bought a quality machine."

"Of course I did," Minseok mumbles, stumbling to the bathroom.  "I'm not letting you zap the fuck out of me with some cheap-ass inferior product.  I want to live."

Chen's laughter can be heard clearly on the other side of the bathroom door.  "Did you know that it comes with this body contact wire thing that will let me shock you with anything I want?"

Minseok flushes and goes to wash his hands.  "I thought you'd enjoy that," he says, then rejoins his demon in the bedroom to pull on a matching pair of boxer-briefs.

Chen chuckles again.  "Is this like couple t-shirts?" he asks, pointing at Minseok's attire and then his own.

Minseok rolls his eyes as he shuffles into the kitchen.  "I should just buy you your own clothes."

"No way--I like wearing yours!"

"Of course you do," Minseok huffs.  "I should probably thank your possessive ass for not peeing on me."

"Oh, I did that, too," the demon shamelessly admits, piling hot steaming food on Minseok's plate.

Minseok stares at him.  "The fuck?"

"Oh yeah, in the shower.  You tend to close your eyes, so I've taken advantage of both opportunities to add another stream of hot liquid to the ones you were already standing under."  His smile is incredibly smug.

"You dirty little freak," Minseok accuses.

"I'm a fucking demon," Chen reminds him, gesturing for him to eat.

Minseok obeys, chewing his food while glaring at his demon.  "I'm going to enjoy having them microchip you," he grumbles.  "I hear it's a huge fucking needle."

Chen just shrugs, gnawing on the end of a sausage in a way that the human's dick finds more than a little alarming.  "You know I'm into pain," he says, and Minseok scowls harder.

 

Despite the fact that it's almost exclusively full of paperwork, the workday flies by, probably because everyone at the station is in a great fucking mood.  There are streamers and confetti everywhere that Minseok vows to ignore for at least 48 hours, and people keep stopping by his office to thank him or gloat with him or just grin happily at him. 

The Chief Inspector sets his Police Consultant up with a stack of incident reports to fill out, mostly interested in whatever the girls told him that indicated the involvement of other people.  Chen wields the pen without complaint, and Minseok is amused to note that his agent of chaos has surprisingly neat handwriting.

He'd love to haul Taozi in and present the imp with a matching stack of forms, but he's made that awkward for himself.  He can't ask his rookie to bring in his new roommate because he's at least a witness to or possibly more directly involved in the crime they just kind of solved, just like he can't really tell his team that the case isn't strictly closed because there's still a demon running wild in the mountains.  He'll have to figure out how to get the "cousins" together for some bonding time soon, which reminds him that he should probably get both demons a phone.

Shortly after the Chief Inspector has refilled his cup of coffee for the second time, Father Zhang calls to tell him that at least some of the blood they found at the scene matches the blood type of the ambassador's son (though type O blood is fairly common in Korea so that doesn't mean a whole lot), and to thank him for the airline voucher, saying he really didn't need to go to that extent to reward a man for doing his job.

"Father," Minseok assures him, "There is no compensation in the world enough to make up for having to do  _that_  particular job.  Give my love to your dear mother."

"I will, Chief Inspector," the holy doctor promises, and also promises to let him know when the DNA results come back.

Not twenty minutes later, Detective Oh sticks his head in to thank Chen for the introduction to his cousin, evidently expecting the consultant to be lounging on his boss's sofa.

"He's, um, he's great.  And ViVi loves him, and it's great," he stammers, much to Minseok's amusement.

"Thank  _you_  for helping him out," Chen says graciously, giving the rookie one of his widest smiles.  "He's a bit of a diva, but he has his uses.  Just let me know if he gives you any trouble."

"I'm sure he won't," Detective Oh assures the consultant.  "We, er... We get along great.  It's really, really great."

Minseok stifles a laugh.  If the detective tells his new roommate that he's really great, too, this could all work out rather nicely.  Then he remembers that he still needs to talk to the demon, and tries to find a non-lie to tell his rookie.  He manages to come up with something plausible.

"Chen's going to add Taozi to his family mobile plan now that he's in town, so if you stop by after lunch, you can take him his new smartphone," he says with a smile, because it's not really a lie, even if Chen doesn't yet have a family plan (or a mobile).  He will soon, and then he'll add the demon, so Minseok's conscience is clear.

The link lights up with surprise, but none shows on Chen's face.  "That's right--you'll probably have to show him how to use it--he's never used a smartphone before," the demon adds, eyes flicking meaningfully to Minseok.

The junior detective's brows draw together in sympathy.  "Ah, his parents were really strict?"

Chen grins.  "Something like that."

The rookie nods.  "I'll stop by before I go home."  He's about to leave, then pops his head back through the door.  "Uh... did he leave more clothes at your place?  I let him borrow some of mine for today..."

Minseok pinches the bridge of his nose, but Chen can apparently easily lie to anyone he's not mentally linked to.  "Oh, sorry--he left almost everything behind.  But he has some cash to buy what he needs--I'll make sure to have it ready with the phone."

Detective Oh nods, smiles, bows, and slips out to do his own paperwork, and Minseok frowns at the demon.  "You're pretty free with money that isn't yours."

Chen just grins.  "If you can afford to rent an entire restaurant for your minions, you can afford to spring for some more fancy oversized clothes.  You were the one who didn't want to abandon him on the street, so you can hardly complain."  When Minseok's eyes only narrow further, the demon chuckles.  "And if I'm adding him to my family plan, does that mean I get a phone, too?"

Minseok nods, lips pressed together.  "It's strange for a human in this society not to have one," he says.  "Plus I still want to ask Taozi about what else the splattered bastards were planning, so I need a way to contact him."

Chen's face sobers.  "I'm pretty sure they were summoning the lanius to bind as the Tiger's familiar--they're demons of wrath, and that guy was always so angry."

Minseok facepalms.  "You're not putting that in the reports, are you?"

"No.  You told me just to write what I directly observed and what the girls told me."

Minseok's eyes soften.  "You were really good with the girls," he says, feeling a twinge of bashful pride slither up the link.  The demon is evidently not used to being thanked or praised, and Minseok smiles softly at the creature's attempts to deal.

"Yeah, well, I can still charm kids a little bit, even though they're not my natural prey," he mutters.  "It just takes longer, and doesn't compel them nearly as much." 

He grins, and just when Minseok is ready to coo over how adorable his fearsome, child-rescuing demon is, he tacks on another sentence as if it's a normal thing to say.  "It was weird to charm kids I wasn't luring to their deaths."

Minseok's face twists in horror.  "You've killed kids?"

Chen's face is blank.  "Of course.  As you so cleverly deduced, a familiar is subject to their--to the human's will.  I wasn't exactly given a choice.  But usually I was just the delivery method.  The humans mostly preferred to do the actual killing themselves."

The Chief Inspector is frozen in shock.  He really shouldn't be so surprised that people who summon demons to do their bidding would use them for evil purposes, but having it plainly spelled out makes him a little sick.  Especially because he'd been letting himself get attached to Chen, and it's hard to view him as merely dangerously sexy with the blood of innocents on his hands.

He swallows his bile.  "Would you... kill kids if you weren't forced to?"

The demon shakes his head.  "As I said, they're not my natural prey--I need sexual energy to survive, and kids don't generate any.  They're pretty much useless to me, so unless I'm instructed to interact with them or they get my attention in some way, they really don't show up on my radar at all--kind of like the birds and squirrels that live alongside you humans that you hardly pay any attention to."

Minseok lets out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding.  "Oh.  Uh.  That's... That's good, I guess." 

His newfound willingness to make the best of his relationship with the demon is still a bit shaken, but he reminds himself that living things are generally driven to survive by whatever means necessary.  He can expect self-sacrifice from a human--he'd rather starve to death than kill children for a captor.  But Chen isn't human, and he wouldn't blame a lion for eating a newborn gazelle, or even a newborn human. 

And it's easy to say he'd rather starve when he's never actually been starving.  He knows hunger is a painfully powerful motivator--wasn't there a soccer team whose plane crashed in the mountains, and they ate the bodies of the dead in order to survive?  Even a human will do what they have to do in order to live, so how can he push Chen away for doing the same?

Still, he can't help damning himself with more questions he's not sure he wants the answers to.  "Did you... enjoy it?"

Chen cocks his head.  "Enjoy what?  Killing kids, or saving these three?"  When Minseok doesn't respond, the demon shocks the Chief Inspector by freely offering information.  "I never liked carrying out _any_ orders for any of the previous humans.  Most demons that become familiars aren't as bound as I am.  I pissed off the queens, and they forced me to accept their terms or be destroyed.  So I'm compelled to obey, and I fucking hate it.  There are tasks that I've hated less than others, but in general, my existence has been devoid of choices and therefore devoid of any true enjoyment of anything."

His coal-black eyes flick to the floor, and their link thrums with reluctance and what Minseok might call shame if it weren't originating from a creature incapable of such.  "That's why I was so thrilled to be accidentally attached to what I thought was a naive innocent--if you didn't know you could boss me around, maybe I could finally have a say in my own existence once again.  But you're good at your job, and you figured things out pretty damn quick.  But that's why I like you so much--you know I can't really say no, and you know I have to accept however you want to feed me.  But instead of forcing me to do all the dirty work you don't want to stain your own soul with, you generally wait for me to offer my help.  I've never had to argue with a human to let me do my job before, much less have one thank me and offer me non-contractual rewards." 

Now lust coils around the link as Chen's eyes flick back up to meet the Chief Inspector's uncertain gaze.  "And you feed me so much better than anyone ever has, even when you're making me take what you decide to give me.  The fact that you do everything you can to feed me well, including sometimes giving up control, is so fucking amazing--I haven't been in this good of condition since before the queens had their way with me.  I feel fucking invincible, and I'm more content to obey you than any other human I've ever been bound to."

With that, the demon's strangely sincere eyes flick back down to his allotted paperwork, and Minseok remembers to blink.  Then his mouth goes from a gape into a grin.  If it's the master's choice how much their familiar sins, then Minseok's little demon is going to behave almost like an angel.

 

Just before lunch, Detective Byun stops by with a wide grin and a rambling question.

"Chief I just wanted to make sure that it's okay for me to date Mr. Park because the case is basically over and he's not a suspect and he's already given his written testimony for his wife's trial and I didn't figure you'd care that much since you and your consultant are boning and--"

Minseok's desk is suddenly decorated with the coffee that used to be in his mouth.  He stares at his sodden paperwork and spattered computer screen.  "The fuck?" he asks.

"Your consultant.  The one on your couch.  You guys are totally doing the do."  Detective Byun makes a lewd hand gesture involving a circle and an index finger.

Chen looks up at the detective with a suppressed smile.  "We have a professional relationship," he informs the man.

"I'm sure you do, and no one is questioning that." Detective Byun replies.  "But it's also obvious that one of you is totally putting his dick in the other one, and we're all absolutely fucking  _thrilled_  because the Chief needs someone to sex him into a coma from time to time so he doesn't stay up for forty-eight fucking hours in a row and maybe you could remind him to eat actual non-coffee food from time to time--"

"I'm all over it," Chen assures the detective with a wink, and Minseok just stares at both of them, coffee still dripping off the top of his desk.

"Great then I'll just be off because I'm meeting Chanyeol at one and it's almost time thanks bye!"

Chen casts him a glance, then bursts into laughter at what he sees.  Minseok sighs, setting his coffee cup down and going to get some paper towels to salvage his paperwork and hopefully a little of his dignity.  As he cleans the monitor and the top of his desk, he tries to soothe himself with the thought that this means his detectives are well-trained and good at their jobs, but he still needs to pull open the top drawer of his desk and compulsively re-organize it before he feels once again in control of his work environment.

When his surroundings are clean to his satisfaction and he's put on a new shirt, the demon practically drags him to get lunch and a pair of mobile phones.  The demon tolerates the less-than-healthy choice of grabbing various portable street foods because it means they can eat while they walk to the mobile provider Minseok uses.  He puts the demon in charge of choosing the phones while he deals with the paperwork of activation, ending up adding both demons to his own plan since Chen hardly has a national ID with which to set up his own.  

Demons are apparently close kin to magpies, because Chen picks out the cases first--a neon pink one for himself with a yellow-eyed black cat glaring judgmentally from one corner, and a rhinestone-encrusted one for Taozi that has a panda's face picked out in crystals.  Minseok dutifully purchases whatever phones fit in the cases his familiar has chosen, grateful that at least they're the same brand as his own phone so he can help the demon learn how to use it more easily.

He programs the demons' phones with each other's numbers and with his own, and loads them both with the most popular chat and photo-sharing apps, wondering if Taozi could feed from strangers' praise online or if it had to be in person.  Either way, Minseok is sure that once a creature as vain as the imp figures out how to take a selfie, social media will be flooded with his face.

His own demon turns out to be terrible at selfies, tending to zoom in on things like his nostril while laughing uproariously at the results.  On the walk to the bank to withdraw cash to clothe Taozi and again on the walk back to the station, he keeps saying he's going to take a picture of himself in front of some landmark or other that catches his attention, but he never manages to include anything except his grinning face, eyes curved into gleeful crescents and lips curling like the Cheshire cat.

The rest of the day thankfully passes without incident, Chen busying himself downloading apps and games and then cackling for an hour when he finds one that turns every tap of his finger into the stomp of Godzilla's foot, merrily squishing cars and pedestrians and kicking down buildings.  Minseok makes the demon wear earbuds so he can deal with his paperwork without hearing tiny screams and brutal splats, but he finds Chen's joyful laughter just as distracting.

Then Chen discovers a game that is ostensibly about performing life-saving surgery, but in the hands of the demon it becomes a game about gleefully removing body parts and flinging them around.  Of course the obnoxious creature has to show the human his results like a cat bringing home a dead bird, and the disgusted Chief Inspector finally gives in and installs a game he's occasionally caught Detective Do playing while waiting for some result or other.  It's aptly titled 'Blood, Brains, and Gore,' and features the use of a katana to dismember zombies in as graphic a fashion as possible.  But at least now he knows the demon is hooting with joy over the digital deaths of representations of movie monsters instead of life-like humans, and somehow that's easier to take.

The demon's sadistic glee is much easier to ignore than the fact that, according to the reports piling up in his inbox, there is evidently at least one more person involved, at least peripherally, with child-snatching and demon-summoning in Minseok's city.  Children aren't necessarily any more unreliable as witnesses than adults (people in general are far less accurate than they think they are), but these kids had been drugged, and they'd encountered things that even an accuracy-trained adult would have a hard time reconciling with reality.

So Minseok takes the reports from his consultant and Detective Byun with a strong grain of salt, but all three children evidently said that there were a total of four men in the warehouse by the river with them, and based on the descriptions, the Chief Inspector can tentatively identify two of them as the ambassador's son and Taozi in (mostly) human form.  He's deducing one of the remaining men was the Tiger, but that still leaves another man (or demon) unaccounted for, and, based on the children's descriptions of this guy--An older, blank-faced man who was always bossing the others around--he sounds like the ringleader, and that makes Minseok incredibly uneasy.

He's reassured, however, that all the children report the 'sad kitty cat man' to be the one that gave them the glasses of milk--the only food or drink they'd been given during their captivity.  It seems likely that was the method by which they were drugged, and if that's so, then it's possible that Taozi interfered with the process, thus saving the girls' lives (and freeing himself from his evil master).  Chen had said other familiars aren't as bound as he is, making Taozi's willful disobedience seem possible.  It makes the Chief Inspector feel a little better about knowingly entangling his rookie's life with that of a demon if he's possibly a heroic demon, even if the heroics were probably a side-effect of a self-serving plan.

The children also describe a scary tiger and a monster, and while Minseok knows that they're separate creatures (and the scary tiger is probably actually a human), he's okay with the fact that the accounts will augment any reports of violence in the national park as that of an actual big cat.  While tigers were once native to Korea, there are very few, if any, left in the wild, and certainly not in a well-traveled park like Bukhansan.  But carnage in the park could be spun as being caused by an escaped pet tiger or something, possibly related to this kidnapping case--after all, something tore apart the men in the cave, and he's not going to get away with suggesting a lightning strike for this one. 

The Chief Inspector sighs, running his fingers through his hair despite his familiar's admonishing glare.  He'll cross that bridge when he has actual autopsy reports to evaluate.  The important thing for now is that the kids are safe.  But sooner rather than later, the Chief Inspector has to figure out who the fourth guy is and find something strong to indict him with before he decides to recruit new evildoers and/or demons to wreak havoc in Minseok's city--a task he hopes his increasingly-cooperative familiar can somehow help with, since he otherwise has no fucking clue how to combat this threat he didn't even know existed until a week ago.

 

The familiar in question manages to behave like a model feline citizen at the vet to get his vaccine and microchip to satisfy the building security.  He plays up the pain of the microchip injection just to get the cute little vet assistant to cuddle and stroke him, sending smug little challenges down his link to Minseok who is adamantly refusing to care about his familiar's chronic flirting.  He knows Chen is his, he still feels it in his gut and now it's a solid comfort instead of a burden.  Chen is his, he is Chen's, and no big-bosomed cat lover is going to change that, no matter how closely Chen presses his feline body to the woman's chest.

Paperwork in one hand and mildly-annoyed cat-in-a-kennel in the other, Minseok stops at the security desk so they can take Chen's picture as a cat and file his paperwork--not that he expects the security team to ever see the cat again, but rules are rules and now Minseok has followed them.  Chen is quiet in the elevator and down the hall, but once they're in the apartment and Minseok has opened the kennel, Chen opens his mouth.

"--believe you actually did that to me," he complains as he regains his catboy form, twisting and contorting to try to feel the red wound between his shoulder blades where the chip was inserted.

"Well, that answers one question," Minseok smiles, swatting the demon's hands away.  "Let it heal--don't pick at it."  It seems like what's done to one form persists in the others, and since the hickey he'd attempted to leave on the demon's neck had faded as he'd fed, he assumes this wound will soon be a distant memory for the irritated beast.

"Do you actually want me microchipped?" Chen questions.

Minseok grins.  "Kind of.  I mean, if you're mine, I like that you're officially mine.  Like a couple ring you can't take off."

"I should get to microchip you, then," the demon glowers.

"Ah, but that would be weird if I ended up in the hospital or something."

"You're not ending up in the hospital," Chen dismisses.  "You're mine, and I'll keep you safe."

"You better," Minseok asserts.  "Especially when you're using your new toy."

The distraction works, and Chen runs to show his human the manual of all the ways the demon can make him scream.  And after dinner, Minseok even strips to his skivvies and lets him try it a little, hissing when the demon runs the wand over the top of his bare thigh.  Chen is a studious and attentive torturer, paying attention to how his human's skin reacts versus how much pain lights up their link, and he only draws three wiggly stripes across Minseok's tender flesh before he nods, turns the machine off, and goes to get the aloe gel to soothe the irritated skin.

"That's it?" Minseok asks.  "Not gonna make me cry for you today?"

"Nope," the demon says, smoothing the treatment gently over the thin red lines.  "I'm gonna save it for tomorrow.  I'm gonna marinate you in adrenaline, then baste you with electricity, then I'm gonna devour you."

"Goodie," Minseok sighs.

But Chen just laughs.  "You're looking forward to it, aren't you?"

Minseok bites his lip, slouching back on the sofa.  "I don't know that I'd say that.  I really thought you'd peeled all my skin off the last time I let you loose.  At least I have some expectations of what'll happen to me this time, but I already fucking  _know_  it's gonna hurt."

The demon grins happily and nods as Minseok continues.  "But I think at this point I mostly trust you not to kill me, and you did take care of me well afterward last time--that was smart, making me eat and drink something--so I'm pretty sure I'll wake up the next day in reasonable condition, and that makes me... well.  Not dread it?"

"Don't forget the part where I'm gonna make you come so hard you'll think you turned inside out."

"That is a nice silver lining, I suppose," Minseok admits, studying the demon at his side.

He's beautiful as always, smiling as he has been all day, looking elegantly relaxed with one of the silk robes adorning his body, left open at the front to display that lovely chest.  His furry feline ears are swiveling among his tousled hair, and his tail is swishing freely through the robe's rear slit because he's wearing his modified underwear--has been all day for once--and Minseok supposes he'd better sacrifice a few more pairs to the demon's precision claws for hygiene purposes.  

The sensation coming down their link is cozy, pleasant, buzzing a bit with excitement for tomorrow but mostly just content.  It might not be love, but it could easily pass for fondness, and Minseok supposes that's something at least.  And after all, it's hardly been a week since he plucked the beast from the wreckage of the penthouse--it'd be strange to love anyone he'd known for such a short time, direct connection to their brain or no.

But it's enough for now, Minseok decides.  Enough at least to give something a try.

"Am I feeding you tonight?" he asks, shifting to lean more heavily against the armrest.

Chen shakes his head.  "I'm gonna drain you hard tomorrow, so I better let you rest."

Minseok nods, because that's the answer he was expecting.  He reaches for the remote.  "Then maybe you can find it in whatever passes for your chaotic demon heart to indulge your silly human for a few hours.  You might even like it."

The demon tilts his head, and Minseok reclines further, gesturing for the demon to come closer.  When his prey is within reach, Minseok tugs him down on top of himself, draping the demon over his own bare chest like a living blanket.  He wiggles around beneath his familiar, re-arranging both of them until they're both comfortable, tucking the demon's head under his chin and pointing both their faces toward the flat-screen TV hanging on the opposite wall.

Minseok presses buttons on the remote, bringing up the next episode of his guilty-indulgence crime drama, letting it play while he idly runs his fingers through Chen's silky hair and caresses those velvety black ears.  The demon liked this sort of treatment well enough when he was a cat--and sure enough, those same pink puffs of gentle pleasure are drifting up their link, and Chen snuggles against his chest just a bit further.

"So, the deal is that I'm addicted to this show even though it's almost entirely inaccurate as to actual police procedure and good crime-scene technique, much less proper detective skills," Minseok explains.  "So I can only enjoy watching it if I yell at it the entire time for being dumb."

"I like yelling," Chen confirms, and Minseok can feel his familiar's grin.

"I thought you might," Minseok chuckles, then frowns as the lead detective on the show breaks standard operating procedure yet again.

"Oh, come on," he gripes, "Even a green academy graduate knows better than that!"

He's sure Chen has no idea why he's annoyed, but he's extremely gratified when the demon adds "What a moron!" while butting his head against Minseok's fingertips to remind his human to keep stroking him.

Minseok grins.  This, he could really get used to.


	9. Purressing Charges

As they re-enter the apartment after their day at Everland, Chief Inspector Kim Minseok thinks that if he were to actually fall for his familiar, it would be because of his smile.  Sure, he's a demon--a possessive, domineering, sadistic demon who has committed more heinous acts over however many years (millennia?) he's been alive than Minseok ever wants to know about--but he's fucking _adorable_  when he smiles.  From little thin-lipped smiles to giant Cheshire grins, Minseok loves them all.  Any time those intense eyes curve into happy little crescents, his heart does a little flippy-floppy thing in his chest that tells him he's royally fucked, and the thrum of smug delight that thrums over their link tells him the demon fucking knows it.  

The demon in question is practically glowing, still radiating glee from having been able to ride the T Express over twenty times thanks to the mountain of Q-passes Minseok sprung for.  He'd screamed like a happy baby for three minutes straight as the coaster climbed and plunged, not seeming to inhale until the ride had once again come to a stop.  Minseok had laughed in the seat beside him, looking more at the joyful demon than in front of him, obliging Chen's desire for him to scream, too, by yelling properly whenever the creature looked at him expectantly as they were about to take another plunge.

Chen had also enjoyed traveling across the park by skyline, but again the excitement was flavored with melancholy and then curiosity, probably because Minseok was internally raging at the dead man who'd deliberately stripped this freedom-loving creature of his wings.  Then he'd started laughing, because he's sure it's not a good sign for his mental health that in less than ten days, he's gone from being oblivious to the existence of demons, to hating one, to forging a truce, to feeling protective of a creature that could probably shred him in two seconds without blinking or feeling remorse.

Well, that last part might be a bit harsh.  Chen does indeed seem to have developed some sort of fondness for his human beyond needing to keep him alive in order to survive.  He'd insisted on standing so that Minseok was in his shadow whenever he could, even though he'd already slathered his human with suncream, because the demon would heal any sunburn as soon as he'd fed.  And he'd forged a trail through the crowd for Minseok, using his radiating charisma to push people out of their path without anyone but Minseok realizing what was actually happening. 

He'd sent the demon off with a wad of cash at one point to get them a frozen drink to share, and he'd returned with a blueberry-flavored one, much to Minseok's delight.  When he mentioned that blueberry was one of his favorite flavors, the demon reminded him that he'd already guessed as much by the flavor of the sports drinks in the Chief Inspector's mini fridge.  Minseok had then proceeded to fail in his attempt to not make disgusting heart-eyes at the demon for noticing, remembering, and choosing a flavor that would please his human, without being ordered to do any of those things.  

But of course, the flustered demon had to ruin the moment by muttering that he needed the human to stay well-hydrated because the violet wand could dry out the skin, and that's why he couldn't let his intended victim get sunburned, either--he needed to take care of Minseok well so he could feast later.  But the feeling floating up the link was embarrassment rather than disdain or disinterest, so Minseok is continuing to view it as a positive sign.

And he takes it as another positive sign when his gleeful familiar draws him into a kiss once they've kicked their shoes into the shoe rack, a hint of tingling venom leaking out in the demon's excitement.

"Take a shower while I make you food," Chen urges.  "You need to wash off all that suncream and I want your skin to have plenty of time to dry before I zap you so it doesn't conduct more electricity than expected."

Pleased at the demon's continuing attention to detail where his human's health and well-being are concerned, Minseok does as he's bidden, returning to find a steaming bowl of jjajangmyeon waiting on the table.  He eats heartily, doing what he can to give himself energy to spare for his familiar's impending feast.

At the human's insistence, Chen showers while Minseok does the dishes, then the demon (singing more gleeful songs in languages Minseok doesn't understand) sets up his implements of torture.  Mood dampened a bit by the impending pain, Minseok sighs as he shucks his bathrobe, then drapes his naked form once again over the end of the kitchen counter.

"There's just so much space in here for me to set everything up," Chen explains when Minseok accuses him of having a kitchen fetish.  "Plus the tile floor is an insulator, which is important when playing with electricity," he recites as if reading from the manual he's evidently memorized.  He opens the kitchen window to help vent the ozone the wand produces, "To protect delicate human lungs," and Minseok can't complain too much because he's also padded the brutal edge of the granite countertop with a folded towel to protect his delicate human flesh from getting bruised up so badly this time.

So the Chief Inspector, respected pillar of the community, meekly assumes the position as directed by the demon who's about to fuck him, taking some comfort from the oversized numbers on the digital kitchen timer the demon sets on the counter opposite Minseok's head.

"The booklet said your frail human body can only take about twenty minutes of hardcore torment, so you can watch the time if you need a reassurance you'll survive," the demon mocks, obviously feeling Minseok's growing anxiety through their link.  "Do you want the venom this time or not?"

Minseok thinks.  "I might need it," he confesses.  "I'm not that into pain, so if you need me to come, I might need the help."

Chen nods, pressing his lips together around a smirk.  "We'll teach your body that pain enhances pleasure soon enough--it's fun feeding without the venom.  It tastes different.  You've spoiled me by introducing me to organic free-range no-growth-hormone human energy, so I'm only going to give you a little bit, just enough to get you going.  It should wear off by the time I drain you, because I like it when you're my non-GMO gluten-free cupcake."

"Well, that was dumb of me," Minseok laments, but he's not sure he really means that.  Is it better to let the demon drug him into enhanced compliance every time, or better to know that the demon prefers him naturally participating in their exchanges?  In either case, the demon is bending down for an awkward, sloppy, sideways kiss, and Minseok can't help the moan that rumbles from his mouth when the venom-induced tingles seem to shoot from his lips straight to his cock.

"That's it, my delicious little feast," Chen purrs, then he starts the timer and Minseok's torment begins.

The demon starts by prepping Minseok's ass just enough to shove something inside him that would be small and unobtrusive except that it makes every metallic thing the demon touches him with send sparks dancing across his skin.  He grunts and hisses and twitches and convulses as the demon draws what feels like the entire contents of Minseok's cutlery drawer across his thighs and legs, not because the electricity is reaching deep enough to contract his muscles, but because it's lighting up every sensory nerve ending in his skin.  Metal chopsticks, butter knives, spoons, and forks are all used to trace sizzles and pinpricks and sparks across his lower body, increasing in intensity as the timer ticks away the seconds of his ordeal.  The backs of his knees and the bottoms of his feet are particularly sensitive, so of course the demon makes him stand on one leg as he torments both areas at once, making Minseok fantasize about sending his lifted foot smashing into the laughing demon's crotch.

But he endures, cock jerking and twitching against the counter with each new tingling sensation, the venom working as advertised to keep him aroused and interested as his body learns to cope with the new stimulus.  Just as he decides he can deal with this, that he might even learn to find it erotic, the demon steps on the foot pedal that turns off the machine, pulls the electrifying probe from Minseok's ass, and fiddles around with the wand attachments.  Then he turns off the kitchen lights with the exception of the spotlight over the sink, casting most of the room into shadow--until he turns the machine back on and violet lightning blooms inside the glass electrode he's fitted to the wand.

The demon makes sure his victim gets a good look at his cackling face lit up by the sparking purple mushroom-shaped tip, and Minseok rolls his eyes at his demon's flare for the dramatic.

"Now for the direct stimulation," Chen crows, moving out of Minseok's sight, and then Minseok is yelping as sparks crawl across his asscheeks.

The demon's mirth grows louder at this reaction, and the buzz moves constantly, swirling over each cheek, zipping across Minseok's lower back, darting over his ribs.  When his yelps melt into groans as he becomes accustomed to this new level of intensity, the demon gleefully turns the machine up until the human is once again wailing to his liking.

"My pretty little muffin, you're taking this so fucking well!" the demon praises.  "My human is so tough, works so hard to be so fucking good for me."

The smell of ozone fills the air, making Minseok feel as though he's in the middle of his own personal lightning storm, but the timer is counting down.  The demon evidently feels his growing relief even as he bellows, because the machine clicks off once again, the demon fiddles around, and then flickering green light is washing over the kitchen as something extremely sharp is snapping across Minseok's flesh.  The demon holds the wand carefully to the side, lines himself up, and slides his cock into Minseok's ass before resuming the stimulation, slicing lines of buzzing heat over Minseok's back and shoulders and upper arms.

"You look so beautiful, Minseokkie!  So fucking sexy with my welts all over your lovely skin.  You love being this artist's canvas, don't you, my gorgeous princeling?"

Minseok tries to growl out a "Fuck you" but it comes out sounding a lot more like "Fuck yes."

This, of course, makes the demon fairly roar with ownership and glee and the needle-like electricity snicks across his skin with more fervor.  Minseok's wails are more like shrieks, joined by the demon's pleasured moans as the stinging tingles make him clench around the dick in his ass.  Chen isn't even thrusting, just holding himself in place and letting Minseok contract around him, and even through the electric haze burning up his sanity, Minseok relishes the power of his body to so affect the demon's.  

This must light up their link, because even more lust floods their connection and the second-hand excitement has Minseok actually rutting against the counter in response to the next zapping stripe Chen scribes over his back.  Chen yells triumphantly at this, then starts painting his skin with electricity in rhythm as Minseok's writhing stimulates them both.  The demon's heady arousal continues to augment his own until his head is filled with as much snapping electricity as is dancing across his skin on razor blades.  His entire body feels lit from within and Minseok is suddenly so fucking close to releasing the gathering charge in a bolt of ecstasy.  He knows Chen is close, too, and the demon is tracing the wand in erratic motions over areas of Minseok's back he hasn't yet tortured as he thrusts and grinds and pins a writhing Minseok against the counter.

Finally, the timer beeps and the demon shifts his weight to hit the foot pedal that turns the wand off, sets the device down carefully, and grabs Minseok's hips to fuck them both over that final edge.

"So good, my delicious dumpling prince, my steamiest of buns!" Chen crows as he pounds Minseok against the counter, their link glowing with so much white-hot lust that the human is quickly and thoroughly overwhelmed, soiling the towel beneath his hips with thick jets of come as the demon hammers his prostate into mush.

Chen screams his own satisfaction over Minseok's shuddering howl, and then they're panting together over the counter.  Chen is giggling contentedly against Minseok's still-tingling back, tracing lines with his finger that light up again with the gentle stimulation.

"You're mine, pretty little Minseokkie," Chen coos.  "All mine, so fucking good and all fucking mine!" 

The link is buzzing with ownership and pride and satisfaction, and Minseok just grunts, throat raw, energy literally drained.  The demon plants a wet sloppy smooch between Minseok's shoulder blades, then pulls out and putters around with the equipment for a moment, still chuckling and muttering his extreme satisfaction as he does.

Then the demon is cleaning him up and once again offering Minseok a snack and a drink, murmuring praise and encouragement as Minseok consumes what he needs to refill his energy and soothe his throat before the demon once again hauls the Chief Inspector to his bed.

"Still not bleeding, still perfectly fine," Chen assures his burden before depositing him onto the sheets, smoothing cool, soothing aloe over his back and ass and legs like a good little sadist before scampering off to clean up the kitchen as Minseok flops about in slow motion, trying to find a position that alleviates the residual stinging on his back.

Chen returns after a few long moments, link humming with satiation and pleasure.  "Do you want the covers over you?" he asks, moving to tug them into place.

Minseok shakes his head, because parts of his back are still on fire despite his best efforts to rest in such a way that he's not stretching the affected skin.  "Hurts," he complains.

A pang flickers down their link, then the demon is running the sink in the bathroom before he returns to Minseok's side.  "Here," he offers, and Minseok forces himself up on his elbows to accept the NSAIDs Chen is holding out to him along with a tumbler of water.

Minseok swallows the offered pills, then collapses onto his chest again.  "Thanks, I guess," he mumbles, not sure how else to respond to Chen's treatment of injuries he gleefully and unapologetically inflicted.

But he did treat them, and now Chen's tucking himself once again under Minseok's arm, shifting so it's easy for Minseok to bury his face against his torturer's neck.

"You'll feel fine in the morning," the demon soothes, and Minseok sincerely hopes so.

 

And he mostly does, except for a bit of lingering soreness in his abused prostate and some fiery discomfort over two palm-sized spots on his back over his shoulder blades.  As he drags himself to the bathroom (no demon in sight this morning, though the air still smells pleasantly of breakfast), the mirror tells him why.

In addition to drawing what have become faded pink squiggles all over his body, his demon has evidently used the wand to fucking brand his human with his name, in Hangeul on one side and what's probably Mandarin on the other.

"You possessive little fucker!" Minseok bellows, but all he gets is smug mirth up their link.  "This better not be permanent!"

Unrepentant amusement skips across their link as Minseok feels the demon move rapidly from the kitchen to the vicinity of the sofa, under which kitty-Chen is securely sheltered by the time the irate human stomps his way into the living room.

Minseok pours his irritation down the link, but he decides against hauling the feline out and dealing with claws before he's even had breakfast.  He sits down at the table to try to enjoy the food while ignoring the thrilled possessive glee floating up the link like brightly-colored balloons.

The food smells delicious and looks perfectly prepared as usual, so his mood does indeed lift--until he notices the little saucer placed neatly beside his breakfast plate, containing his usual morning vitamins and supplements, along with two more NSAID tablets and a narrow cylinder just over a centimeter long, fine copper wires visible through the transparent surface.

"Is this your fucking microchip?" Minseok asks, remembering the enlarged image of the device on the promotional poster at the vet's office.

The only response is more glee balloons over their link, and Minseok scowls at his food.  Not only has the demon painfully written his name on what he views as his property, but the feeding and subsequent healing evidently ejected Minseok's own attempt at some sort of claim over the obnoxious beast.

"Fucking demon," he mutters around his mouthful, but of course that's exactly what Chen is, so it's pride rather than offense that floats smugly from under Minseok's sofa as he chews his food more violently than strictly necessary.

"Do you do this sort of shit to all your humans?" Minseok asks his furniture after he swallows the needed pills.

Negation floods the line.

"So I'm just that special, huh?" Minseok asks, voice full of sarcasm, but the affirmative response he gets from the link is genuine.

Evidently, the demon  _does_  consider him special, and as the painkillers work on his screaming back and the food works on his growling stomach, the demon's glee works on Minseok's muttering brain.

"You're an ass," Minseok informs his sofa when he's done eating, but he's suppressing a smile.  "Are you gonna cower under the furniture all day, or are you gonna literally man up and put some clothes on so we can go to work?"

Tumbleweeds might as well be drifting through the apartment for all the response he gets.

He presses his lips together.  "At least come out long enough to help me put proper bandages on--it's gonna suck when my shirt gets stuck to your barbaric handiwork."

A furry black blur streaks from under the sofa into the bedroom, and by the time Minseok's two feet catch up with the demon's four, Chen is holding out an aloe-smeared gauze square ready to fix in place over his brutal calligraphy, feline ears submissive but feline smile smug.  "I've only given you the equivalent of a sunburn, you big baby.  Much as I'd love to, I know I'm not allowed to mark you permanently, and you know I can't disobey, so stop freaking out," he chides the human with a grin.  "You're so dramatic."

"You're so obnoxious," Minseok retorts, but he turns his back to the fiend and lets him tape the bandages in place, hoping the demon's right about the marks being temporary.  "Next time you feel the need to burn graffiti into my skin, do it somewhere my swim trunks will cover, just in case you fuck it up.  I'd like to still be able to enjoy beaches and saunas without the world knowing some possessive little freak thinks he owns me."

"I do own you," Chen asserts, entirely unrepentant.  "And you're shorter than me, so you can't really call me little."

"What I'm short is the caffeine that I need to deal with your obnoxious ass.  Since I won't have time to stop for coffee, I'm sending you out to get some for everyone as soon as we get to the station.  And I'm going to order the fanciest fucking espresso machine I can find--if you're clever enough to read a manual and then jump straight to advanced torture techniques, you're clever enough to read a manual and then make me really fucking good coffee every morning."

"Yes, my tender little dumpling prince," Chen coos obsequiously, though the link (and his grin) betrays his continuing mirth.  "If it will make you less grumpy, I have some ideas as to how to try and track down the fourth guy involved in the kidnapping."

Minseok smiles tightly.  "For a guy who doesn't actually care about kids, you certainly seemed protective of them.  I could guess there was someone else involved just from your need for vengeance sizzling over the link as you talked with them."

Chen shrugs.  "Call it survivor's sympathy.  I hated those fuckers and was thrilled they were dead--it was annoying to learn there was an arrogant, self-indulgent prick still out there."

Minseok grins, because while Chen can't lie to him, their link makes it obvious he's avoiding the whole truth.  The Chief Inspector lets it go, more interested in his familiar's plan than his feelings at the current moment.

"So what are these ideas I will immediately reject only for you to eventually talk me into doing as you recommend?" Minseok asks as he pulls on his shirt, thinking of his familiar's previous plans to sniff out and interrogate Mrs. Park and to aggressively re-home Taozi.

Chen takes advantage of the Chief Inspector's inability to make eye contact while his face is obscured by fabric.  "I can sneak into that warehouse the kids were held in, and see if our evil friend came back."  

Minseok is verbalizing his denial before his face is even clear of his collar.  "Absolutely not.  Our warrant expired, we have no right to be there, and the owner was a pain in the ass the first time around so he's not just going to give us permission to stake out his property."

Chen rolls his eyes.  "That's why I said I'd sneak in--no warrant required."

"That's illegal."

"But it's not illegal for a stray cat to wander around by the docks."  That Cheshire grin spreads over the demon's beautiful face.

Minseok frowns.  He supposes the fact that his familiar is technically not a human could conceivably exempt him from following human laws--especially when he happens to resemble something else entirely.  Still, the plan seems risky with only a tiny chance of useful success.

"But the girls' descriptions were vague--you're never gonna recognize him even if he is lurking around."

"Taozi met the prick," Chen reminds him.  "I'll take him with me.  Then we'll even be using the buddy system you cops are so hung up on, and we'll literally sniff out all there is to know."  Feeling the Chief Inspector waver, he goes for the killing blow.  "You wanted to talk to Taozi anyway, right?"

Minseok says nothing as he finishes dressing, but they both know that Chen has once again talked the risk-averse Chief Inspector into letting the demon fulfill his contractual obligation.

"You'll take Taozi, and you better be fucking invisible," Minseok decrees as he gathers the rest of what he needs for work.  "If he's there and he sees you, he'll know something's up--I don't want him spooked, nor do I want him to connect demons to cops.  And he might have a gun or another demon or something, and I don't want either of you hurt."

Chen scoffs.  "I have done reconnaissance a time or two before.  I know what I'm doing.  And while your concern for a creature you aren't even sure you like is touching, it would take more than a gun to kill even the wimpiest demon, and I'm more powerful than most--especially with how well you feed me."  Pride and lust saunter down the link.  "We'll be perfectly fine."

Minseok isn't at all sure, but he lets himself be convinced, the demon continuing to outline plans and benefits to demon infiltration as the Chief Inspector drives them to work.  When they arrive, Chen does indeed fetch everyone coffee, remembering everyone's order and successfully guessing what Detective Byun would like ("He's basically a kid, so of course he's got a kid's sweet tooth") without any assistance.  And once the caffeine has the Chief Inspector in a better mood, Chen coaxes a date and time out of him, then makes arrangements for a "cousins' night out" with Taozi, gleefully using his new phone to message the other demon (who has evidently discovered the joy of animated chat stickers) to finish setting things up.  

Taozi is evidently thrilled to be asked to help (if the deluge of brightly-colored gifs scrolling across Chen's phone is any indication), whether because he's looking for opportunities to earn praise or whether he's genuinely interested in the pursuit of vengeance or justice is more than Minseok can guess.  But his ready agreement does ease the Chief Inspector's mind a bit.  Not that he'd ever verbalize any thought along these lines to his familiar, but Chen really isn't very big, as a human or a cat.  Sure, he's clever, fearless, way stronger than he looks, and has the most potent  _fuck with me and die_  aura Minseok has ever encountered, but Minseok no longer underestimates the danger presented by these demon-summoning maniacs.  

Taozi may give off more of a  _if you make me cry I'll piss on everything you love_  sort of an air, but the imp is tall and well-muscled and according to a gushingly-impressed Detective Byun who was present when the sweet-faced creature demonstrated his abilities for Mr. Park's band, his "stage flipping" is actually a showy form of martial arts.  "Like Kung Fu with bling," the detective had said, with reverence rather than derision, so it eases Minseok's mind a bit to feel as though he's sending his wiry little hellcat off with his own personal bodyguard.

 

Which is why the Chief Inspector is only freaking the fuck out internally (making the link flip between amusement and reassurance) as he parks outside a bar near the docks, listening to the pair of demons bicker as they strip in his back seat.

"You have to, Taozi," Chen is saying as he tugs his shirt off over his head.

"But it's gross," the taller demon counters as he mirrors Chen's movements.  "Why can't I be sneaky and clean?"

Chen huffs, feline tail lashing as he slithers out of his pants.  "Because you're the color of fucking milk, you moron.  You love all those kung-pow movies--have you ever seen a ninja dressed in cream?"

Taozi pouts, his dark feline ears drooping, and even through the filter of the rearview mirror, Minseok's heart twinges at the sight.  Chen's eyes immediately flick away from Taozi, and he glares at Minseok in the reflective surface for a moment before rolling his eyes and sighing.

"Look, TaoTao--if you're a good little spy kitty and roll in an oil slick and some dirt before we go, then we can get lots of helpful information for my human.  Then when we get back, he'll be super happy with you, so I'm sure he'll help you clean yourself up and--"  Another sigh.  "And I bet he'll have lots of nice things to say to you."

Taozi's ears perk up at this, then they flatten as he scowls at his fellow demon.  "You're trying to trick me," he accuses.  "You pitched a fit when he tried to feed me before."

Chen presses his lips together, black velvet triangles buried in his hair, face squeezed as if he's in pain.  "I..." he starts, then more facial contortions make it impossible for him to say anything else for a moment.  "I'lllethimfeedyou," he finally forces out, furious tail vibrating against the car door.

The laughter that bubbles up in Minseok's throat at his demon's agony is quickly smothered by the wave of seething resentment Chen hurls down their link as he senses the human's mirth.  Minseok physically flinches at the intensity, but still he turns in his seat, a smirk on his face.  

"What, you're whoring me out now?" the Chief Inspector asks, trying to sound offended.

"Shut the fuck up," Chen responds, refusing to meet his gaze.

Taozi gasps dramatically, kitty ears locked on to the demon in front of him, evidently completely scandalized that Minseok's familiar would speak to him that way, and Minseok can't hold his laughter in any more.  He collapses across the steering wheel as the taller demon freaks out behind him.

"DaeDae, you broke your human again!  He's gonna twist your tail right off!"

Chen scoffs.  "He will not--I told you, he does that sometimes."  

Taozi sounds skeptical.  "He must be defective," he decides, then he yelps as Chen punches him in the ribs.

"You take that back," the shorter demon demands of his tearful victim.  "My human's fucking  _perfect_."

Taozi whimpers and gazes pleadingly at a no-longer-laughing Minseok, but Chen grabs his chin and forces the imp to look at him.

"Say it, Taozi," Chen commands, and Minseok opens his mouth to intervene.

But Taozi wrenches his chin from Chen's grasp.  "Fucking  _fine_ , you touchy bastard--your human's fucking perfect."  He swipes the tears from his eyes, a vengeful glint taking their place.  "I'm gonna be the sneakiest fucking spy, and then I'm going to  _enjoy_  feeding from your pretty little  _perfect_  human right in front of you.  He was tasty when he fed me accidentally--I bet he's fucking  _delicious_  when he does it on purpose."

Now Chen is the one that looks unhappy.  "He's fucking scrumptious," he admits, almost mournfully.

Taozi gloats.  "Then the dirt will be worth it--do you think he'll wash it off of me himself this time?  And then hold me in his lap, stroke my head--"

"Don't fucking push it," Chen growls.  "He's still fucking  _mine_ , and we haven't even found anything out for him yet."  He opens the car door, dragging Taozi across the bench seat as Minseok tries not to think about bare demon asses sliding over his upholstery.  Chen slaps the ass in question, shoving it toward an oil slick glistening dully under the single street light struggling to illuminate this lonely stretch of road.  "Go put your makeup on already," he commands, then he leans through Minseok's rolled-down window to capture the human's lips in what turns out to be a very venomous kiss.

Minseok's cock springs to life, straining against the confines of his pants and he can't help the embarrassingly-needy moan that escapes his plundered mouth.

Chen releases him with a self-satisfied grin.  "You're feeding me when we're done tonight, too, so just sit right there and think about that."

And then a little black cat is yowling at a big Siamese, pouncing the pale, protesting creature down into the muck.  The Siamese swipes a big paw at the little black fiend shoving its (already dark) face in the mud, but the smaller cat retaliates with a flurry of lightning-fast swats that have the larger one diving into the filth to escape.  His attempts to slink out of the scum are rebuffed repeatedly until he's camouflaged to the smaller's satisfaction, then two dark shadows streak toward the warehouse.

Minseok is left alone to listen to his car's engine ping as it cools, cock throbbing painfully in his jeans, heart racing, mouth gaping with lust and shock.  While the majority of his brain is indeed distracted by thoughts of his hot little familiar's hot little body, he is peripherally aware of his link with said familiar sending him pulses of the infiltrator's emotions.  It's mostly annoyance, occasional mild surprise, frequent frustration, then an explosion of vindictive mirth just before he feels his demon moving back in his direction.

He blinks, surprised that they'd be coming back so quickly--except that the clock on the dash indicates the two felines have been gone for close to two hours.  Minseok frowns, unhappy about the venom-induced hypnosis he'd evidently been the victim of, then scowls further when the cats scamper into sight and he realizes they're both filthy and expect to get back into his immaculate car.

"Fucking  _no_ ," the Chief Inspector spits out the still-open window as the creatures skid to a halt and transform into equally-filthy, naked humans.  

The satisfaction filtering through Chen's link falters along with his face.  "But we--"

"I don't fucking care, you're both gross and I don't want you fucking up the car."  He rakes his fingers through his hair as he surveys the offended-looking demons, then he pops the trunk and gets out, ignoring the twin dirty looks boring into his back as he rounds the vehicle.

Thankfully, he keeps a few of the station's pink disposable blankets in the boot, so he hands one to each disgruntled demon before resuming his position behind the wheel.

"Don't fucking say it," Chen hisses as he wraps the blanket around his waist like a bath towel before sliding into the car.  "He is fucking perfect--that's why he wants the car to be perfect, too."

"I didn't fucking say anything," Taozi mumbles, following Chen's example with the second blanket.

But when they're both seatbelted and gazing at him expectantly, feline ears waiting for any word from the human, Minseok realizes he's not sure where to take them.  He can't take them home--walking through his lobby with either two bedraggled and naked humans or two bedraggled cats is going to prompt the security workers to ask questions he'd rather not answer, and he doesn't want to take Taozi home without getting his report or delivering the promised feeding (even if it wasn't Minseok himself who promised).

A frustrated huff from the back seat indicates his familiar has sensed the human's indecision.  "You'd be a fucking terrible spy.  Just take us to a cash motel."

Minseok blinks, face flushing pink with the easy solution his filth-distracted brain had overlooked.  Sheepishly, he starts the car, transporting the demons to the closest seedy motel his phone informs him has good reviews for cleanliness.  He doesn't intend to sleep there, but he's not going to wash the demons surrounded by squalor.

 

The demons are quiet but not silent during the short drive, muttering and hissing at each other in near-inaudible voices, occasionally shattering the silence with the smack of flesh on flesh as one delivers a punch or a slap to the other.

Minseok tries not to grind his teeth at their bickering.  They're not really hurting each other, but if this is how demons treat their "friends" then it doesn't bode well for Minseok's foolish hope of someday molding the demon into a satisfactory boyfriend substitute.  He leaves the squabbling pair in the car as he checks them in, paying in cash and signing his name in the registration book as "Ko Yangi," proving Chen right that he'd be a fucking terrible spy.  Once the room key is collected from the gruff-but-polite night attendant, he re-enters the mobile hiss-and-spit arena, piloting the vehicle around to the rear of the building where their unit is located

He sets his teeth along with the handbrake, then chucks the key over his shoulder, not at all surprised when Chen snags it easily from the air.  "Go shower," he orders, and the filthy demons vacate the backseat, leaving the Chief Inspector to gather their discarded clothing in blessed silence before following them into the rented room.

Taozi is pouting outside the locked bathroom door, Chen's voice penetrating the heavy wood as he sings yet another unintelligible song.  Minseok rolls his eyes, then winks at the imp.

"Oh, Taozi, you're so tall!  And such a handsome figure.  Do you work out?"  Minseok coos, making the tall figure in question straighten up, inhaling deeply through a cheeky grin as his long dark eyelashes flutter against his elegant cheekbones.

As Minseok expected, the door flies open to reveal an irate demon that gapes at the human as if he just caught him shitting on the grave of his mother (if such a thing were actually possible--Minseok has no idea from whence demons spring).

Taozi joins Minseok as he bursts into laughter, Chen now glaring at the both of them with daggers in his onyx eyes, his indignation a fist down their link.

"Don't give me that," Minseok chides.  "You're the fool that left a naked, hungry demon alone with  _your_  human.  And it was  _you_  who promised I'd feed him--isn't this exactly what you wanted to happen?"

Chen scowls, still not dignifying their hijinks with actual speech.  Instead, he grabs Minseok's wrist as if to pull the human into the bathroom with him--which the demon is more than capable of doing, provided another demon isn't clutching his prey's other arm.

"Don't leave me out here alone," Taozi whines when the Chen's scathing glare is directed at him.  "There might be ghosts."

Minseok had been doing an impressive job of remaining upright while being stretched between two creatures of the abyss, but he loses his footing at the imp's statement, twisting as he stumbles to stare up at the taller figure.

"Are you seriously scared of ghosts?" he asks, forcing his feet to center themselves beneath his body.

Taozi nods emphatically, eyes wide, lips pressed thin.

Minseok cocks his head to the side, sending himself off-balance once again.  "But... you're a fucking demon," he reminds the fearful creature.  

Taozi cocks his head right back, but he also extends his other arm to help the human regain his balance.  "So?" he asks, when Minseok is stable once again.  "Ghosts are way scarier than demons."

A cruel chuckle directs Minseok's attention to the other creature trapping one of his wrists.  "So are cockroaches, apparently," Chen cackles.

"Fuck you and your stupid fucking fuckface, DaeDae--you fucking set me the fuck up, you fucking sex whore," Taozi spits.

Minseok doubles over as best he can while doing this laundry-on-a-clothesline impression, dying of laughter at the imp's invective.  "Actually," he wheezes out, "I'm pretty sure I'm actually the whore in this relationship."

Tao shakes his head.  "DaeDae's not a regular whore--he's a  _sex_  whore.  It's way worse," the imp pronounces, but then he looks contrite.  "But I won't call him that anymore--I didn't mean to break you."

Chen sighs, then proves that he's actually more powerful (or at least stronger) than Taozi by hauling all three of them into the bathroom despite the taller demon's active resistance.  "I told you, he's fine--he likes doing that."

"Why are you a  _sex_  whore, Chenny?" Minseok chuckles.  "And why is that way worse than--uh, a... non-sex whore?  Is that a thing?"

Chen huffs.  "I called him an attention whore, because he's so fucking needy all the damn time.  The thing I'm needy about is sex, so..."  The demon shrugs his beautiful naked shoulders.

Minseok grins at him, rolling his own shoulders now that he's no longer the rope in an abyssal tug of war.  "I wouldn't say 'needy.'  I'd say 'fucking demanding.'"

"Shut up, you like it," Chen mutters, then turns on the shower, twisting the knob all the way over to the hottest setting before hopping beneath the spray with a hum of approval, horns and spade-tipped tail on full display along with all the filth he's managed to coat himself in.

"I guess," Minseok shrugs.  "Taozi, get in and wash his back."

Chen glares at his human.  "The fuck do you mean, 'I guess?'  And why can't _you_ scrub my back?"  He attempts to dodge the attentions of the imp, whose feline appendages have melted into shorter, stubbier black horns and a longer but less-dramatically spade-tipped black leathery tail.

Minseok leans against the marble sink, smirking as Taozi's long arms out-maneuver Chen's defensive hands.  "I'm just saying I've had better.  And I refuse to get in there with you, because a human naked in a motel shower between two well-endowed demons is obviously the start of a low-budget porno with terrible music that ends with me spit-roasted, and I'll give that a pass, thanks."

Chen scowls.  "There's no fucking way you've had better, even if you're plenty well-endowed yourself--for a human.  And I'd never share you, especially not with Taozi.  It's fucking bad enough that I'm letting you feed him, like fucking hell he gets to touch you."  His words are less heated than Minseok might otherwise expect, probaby because Taozi has finally succeeded in applying a soapy shower puff in rhythmic circles across Chen's back and the incubus is melting under the imp's touch.

Minseok shrugs.  "I've absolutely had better.  Just because you can make me come like a freight train doesn't automatically make the whole experience good for me.  Which reminds me of another reason I'm not getting in a scalding shower with you--someone left actual fucking  _burns_  on my back the last time I let him have his way with me, and even a regular-temperature shower still fucking stings."

"You burned your human, DaeDae?  The fuck are you still alive?"

An eye roll is evidently insufficient, because Chen rolls his entire head in exasperation, making the imp bob his own head to avoid catching a curved black horn with his face.  "They're barely even sunburns!  They're almost healed, you big baby!  And I've fucking  _told_  you, Taozi--Minseokkie is  _nice_.   _Nice_  humans don't threaten to murder their familiars and actually mean it--but they apparently have delicate fucking princeling skin and fancy fucking princeling sexual needs."

Minseok chuckles, entirely unoffended by his familiar's rant.  "At least I'm not a sex whore," he retorts, tossing a teasing grin at his ruffled-up little demon.  "Scrub Taozi's back for him, DaeDae."

"Nope, just a regular one," Chen ripostes as he grudgingly cleans the imp, but something like affection leaks across their link to take the sting from the barb.

 

When the demons are once again their own typical color sans filthy body paint, Minseok makes Chen rub a towel over Taozi's ruffled locks while the human rubs one over his own familiar's wavy strands.  Both demons practically purr at the attention, and Minseok's arguement-frayed nerves are soothed a little by the twin sounds of contentment.

Minseok makes the demons dress, because he just can't deal with all of the posturing and literal dick-measuring that the bickering demons would probably subject him to.  When they're once again decent, the Chief Inspector gestures for them to flop down on one of the double beds while he lounges on the other, deliberately not thinking about black lights.  "Now, tell me what you found."

"Not him," Chen curls his lip in disgust.  

"We scared some drunk guys, though," Taozi gloats.  "And the bossy prick's scent still lingered in places, so DaeDae knows what he smells like now."

"And then I found a huge fucking cockroach and made Taozi come look at it without knowing it was there, and then he jumped three meters into the air straight up while screaming like someone chopped his dick off and--"

"Shut the fuck up or I'll kick your tiny sex whore ass."

"You could never--"

Minseok frowns, interrupting the squabble before it turns into a fistfight.  "That's all you found?"

"Pretty much."  Chen captures both of Taozi's pinch-attempting hands in his own before he pillows his head on the imp's thigh, which seems to please the taller demon.

"But you were gone for so long!" Minseok says, voice dangerously close to a whine.

"Well, we had to be thorough, didn't we?" Chen huffs.

"I guess.  But damn--some sort of concrete information would have been really useful."  He rakes his fingers though his hair, then focuses his gaze on Taozi.  "How well did you know him--did you know his name?"

The imp shakes his head.  "That was the first time I'd ever seen him, though my human didn't keep me with him all the time so I have no idea how often they met up.  But they seemed to know each other well.  They just called him 'Teacher.'"

Minseok sighs heavily, dragging fingers across his scalp again.  This does him no fucking good--he can't exactly put out an APB based on intoxicated children's descriptions and a common honorific.  The guy might as well be one of the ghosts Taozi is so afraid of.

"Does this mean you aren't going to feed me any more?" the imp asks in a small voice.  

Minseok snaps out of his internal tantrum.  "Of course I'll feed you.  Didn't you try your best?"

The imp nods emphatically.

"Then it's hardly your fault I have nothing to go on.  Plus I know it was you that underdosed the girls which eventually allowed them to escape.  I'd feed you for that, if nothing else."

Taozi is already preening.  "They were so cute and nice to me and they said my kitten ears were soft and pretty and so I wanted them to wake up and run away before they finished getting the summoning set up but they didn't wake up til the last minute but that's still okay because I'm free even if it was gross and really messy."  The imp almost drags his tongue across the back of his human hand at the memory before suddenly seeming to realize he's not shaped like a cat at the moment.

Minseok smiles.  "Then how should I feed such a clever, handsome imp?"

"Ohhh just like that," Taozi sighs, feline lips curling over his cheeks.  "DaeDae's right--you are fucking scrumptious."

Minseok stifles a giggle, baffled that he apparently tastes good no matter how a demon feeds from him, and totally amused that this fearsome creature is so clearly enraptured by a simple compliment or two.

"You do have soft and pretty kitten ears.  And such a long and lovely tail, so twitchy and expressive."

Taozi is actually managing to purr while in catboy form, something Minseok has never seen Chen do.  He idly wonders if it's particular to imps, particular to Taozi, or if Chen  _can_  do it but simply hasn't for whatever reason.

"Yes, you're so handsome.  And when you're a kitty, your fur is such a pretty color, so soft and creamy white, and it looks so good with your almost-black ears and your adorable little kitty face, and then those big blue eyes--Oh!"

Minseok jumps as an arm snakes around his waist, but then he relaxes as he realizes it's only Chen.  The anxiously-possessive little demon has crept from the bed Taozi's on to the bed supporting the Chief Inspector, and Minseok smiles and pats his familiar's arm as the jealous beast wraps both arms and both legs around his human from behind.

Their link is thrumming with insecurity and regret and barely-suppressed rage, so Minseok presses himself back into the demon's arms, reaching over his shoulder to caress Chen's cheekbone with his thumb as he continues to fulfill the promise the demon seems to wish he hadn't made.

"You were so clever, to figure out how to save those girls without getting caught.  And so brave, to try to help them when your human was so mean.  And you were brave tonight, going into that warehouse again, helping DaeDae sniff out the bad guy.  And you even suffered through being dirty, in order to do such a good job--"

Taozi has slumped over, practically melting into the comforter, gurgling his pleasure up at the cracked ceiling.

"Stop," Chen whines from behind him.  "He's full now, look--you can stop!"

Minseok has never felt Chen this upset.  He's practically shaking against Minseok's back, making a constant breathy keening sound he doesn't seem to consciously register, and their link is in such turmoil it's making the Chief Inspector nauseated.  So he detaches the clinging demon's limbs, enduring the increased whining at the perceived rejection before he's able to tug the unhappy creature around into his arms, letting his man-sized hell-koala re-attach to his front so he can wrap his arms around the quivering figure in his lap.

"I only did it because you told him I would," Minseok murmurs into Chen's bright red ear.  "You know I think you're handsome and clever and brave, too--I told you that you're the hottest guy I've ever fucked, didn't I?  You know I wasn't lying."

Minseok runs his hands slowly up and down the demon's carved-marble back until it slowly softens into flesh once again.  Taozi's gurgles also soften into gentle snores, evidently the type to need a nap after a big meal.

Minseok grins at the snoozing imp over Chen's shoulder.  "I didn't even say that much to him," he marvels.  "Am I really that tasty?"

"You were so sincere," Chen complains.  "It's not really important what you tell him as long as you're projecting genuine admiration when you do.  That's why it works if people just pet him--if they're admiring him, he doesn't need specific words, or any words at all."

"Huh," Minseok says, then presses his lips against Chen's neck just under his jaw, having felt his anxiety jump in response to Minseok's interest in the other demon.  "You're still my favorite, though," he assures the creature in his arms.

"Then why?" Chen whines.

"Why, what?" Minseok asks.

"Why am I not the best you've ever had?"

Minseok closes his eyes and presses his lips into a line.  He'd revealed the demon's lack when he'd wanted to rile him up--now Minseok would prefer to calm his familiar down.  "Is it that important?  You make me feel good, I feed you well--Isn't this what matters?"

But Chen is writhing in his arms, shaking his head and the entire rest of his body, so Minseok hastens to soothe his familiar's competitive spirit.  "I'm sorry for saying it--you're always really good for me.  Please don't fret about something that's not your fault."

"Just tell me," Chen continues to demand.  "I'll learn to do it exactly the way you like."

But all Minseok can do is press kisses against his demon's lovely neck, because he's already fucked up enough.  He's sure as hell not going to tell his familiar that, as hot as their sex is, it'll never be as good as it was with someone who actually, genuinely loved him.  It's still really good as it is--so fucking good--and Minseok wishes he could go back in time and pluck the taunting words right out of his own mouth, because if there's one thing he's learned about the creature he's tied to for life, it's that Chen can't or won't easily let things go.

Minseok is definitely going to pay for this lapse of judgement when they get home, and while part of him is terrified, another part of him can't fucking wait.


	10. Kitness Tampurring

When the Chief Inspector and his favorite feline spy make it back to their apartment after dropping a still-drowsy Taozi back at the flat he shares with the rookie detective, it's Minseok's turn to find himself pinned firmly against the back of his front door.  The skin over his shoulder blades stings a bit on impact, but they truly are almost healed, and the twinge serves less to cause him actual pain and more to remind Minseok just what the demon can do with the control the human grants him, sending lightning down his spine at the memory.

Chen presses hot, hungry kisses against Minseok's throat, flirting with the hickeys he knows he's forbidden to actually paint his human's neck with.  He quickly has Minseok's shirt unbuttoned, stretching out the collar of the A-shirt underneath as he bites his human's well-muscled chest, a place where he's free to leave his marks and he does so with relish.  Minseok is floating on a cloud of lust as Chen works him over, but he's wrenched back down to earth when the demon stops all stimulation to cup the human's face in both hands.

"Tell me," he demands.  "Whatever it is, I'll do it."

Minseok just looks back at his beautiful familiar, regret and sadness weighing on his heart.  "You can't," he says softly.  "But I don't care anymore--it doesn't matter."  He leans in, ready to pay for his sins with kisses, but Chen keeps them both locked in place.

"What can't I do that's so fucking important?" the demon asks, voice sharp as the claws threatening to spring out of the demon's fingertips.  "I'm a fucking demon--I'm a fucking _incubus_.  I can fulfill any of your fantasies, no matter how fucking wild."

Minseok sighs, having only his own hubris to blame for the storm he's trapped within.  He meets bottomless black eyes with his own, because while he might occasionally be an idiot, Chief Inspector Kim Minseok is not a coward.

"You're amazing," he tries to assure his familiar.  "You're wonderful, and you make my body sing like no one else ever has."

"But?" Chen asks, because unlike his human, the demon is seldom an idiot and knows when he's being placated.

Thankfully, Minseok's cleverness can sometimes counteract his own idiocy.  As the demon has taught him, not being able to lie isn't the same as not being able to mislead or distract.

So Minseok smiles, dropping kisses like raindrops over his familiar's beautiful face.  "But, nothing.  We've only been fucking for a few weeks--let's just make "best I've ever had" a goal, and practice a  _lot,_ " he hums, deliberately letting his breath wash over the demon's sensitive neck.

As he'd hoped, Chen moans and shivers under the attention.  "Fine, my evasive little dumpling--I'll just envenom the hell out of you, until all I have to do is call your name and you'll come for me," he threatens.

But Minseok suddenly remembers the last time his demon envenomed him.  "Speaking of venom, my naughty little Chenny--I fucking told you I don't like it when you mess with my head."

Chen's brow furrows.  "I didn't mess with your head."

"Yes you fucking did--you envenomed me in the car and made me fantasize about you the whole fucking time you were gone."

A smile curls almost to the familiar's ears.  "No, I fucking didn't--the venom only makes you horny, but since we're linked, it doesn't affect your thoughts.  If you fantasized about me for two hours, that's all on you and your dirty little mind."

Minseok scowls but Chen grins as he covers his human's face in kisses just as the human had done to him moments ago.  "You're already addicted to me," he gloats.  "You fuss at me and fight with me, you boss me around and you prick my ego, but I know it's all a front--the link gives it away.  You can't fucking get enough of this, can you?  You fucking _love_ having this gorgeous fucking body loyal only to you, don't you?"

Minseok tries to let lust instead of relief flood their link, grateful for a new topic to focus on.  "I tried not to," he confesses.  "But you're so fucking  _hot_  and you play me like a fiddle," he attempts to pout, but the demon bites at his protruding lip until he gasps, allowing that skillful tongue to invade his mouth.

Minseok has been topping while his back has healed, but tonight he melts for his familiar, content to let the demon run the show as long as he can manage to do so without his arsenal of toys.  And it seems that the demon's ego really has been pricked, because he seems determined to be the sweetest, most attentive lover possible, proving once again that he knows exactly how to make a human fall apart, and that he's particularly good at making this particular human come undone.

Minseok allows himself to be putty in his demon's hands, letting his skilled mouth and fingers pull orgasm after orgasm from pliant flesh.  Minseok comes for the first time against the door as the demon swallows his cock, lacking shame or a gag reflex and grinning up at Minseok as he skillfully overwhelms his human.  It's not the first time the demon has sucked him off, but it's the first time he's gone to his knees without being ordered to do so, and Minseok's fingers wrap reflexively around the curved black horns as he empties himself into Chen's laughing throat.

Minseok comes again in the bathroom as his familiar washes the human much more thoroughly than he'd washed the imp, lingering over all the sensitive spots that make the Chief Inspector sigh and moan.  Feeling languid and generous from the first orgasm, Minseok even closes his eyes obligingly, ignoring any extra streams of hot liquid that might be washing over his thighs before swirling down the drain.  Minseok would never have thought he'd cooperate with something like this, but it's not actually that unsanitary, just gross and demeaning to think about, so he deliberately doesn't think about it.

Whatever happens while his eyes are closed, it really seems to please his possessive little familiar, because he's moaning as he claims Minseok's gently-parted lips, pressing his back against the cool tiles and rutting against him, slippery cock sliding against slippery cock.  All it takes is a few squeezing strokes from the demon's soapy hand and Minseok is spattering his demon's stomach, opening his heavy-lidded eyes just in time to see the demon collect his human's spend from his skin and lick it off his fingers.

Minseok tries to reach for his demon's arousal, because he's come twice and he's about to fall asleep whether the demon feeds or not.  Except the demon kisses him, dosing him with just enough venom to perk the human's sleeping cock right back up again.

And then Minseok is face down in his bed, ass inelegantly thrust into the air as the demon's dexterous fingers work him open, milking a third orgasm from the human's sensitive prostate in the process.  He's never come this many times this close together before and is not looking forward to the demon using his over-sensitive body to get off, but then Chen fucking  _licks_  Minseok's ass, mouthing at the now-tingling hole and laughing as the Chief Inspector shouts and squirms.  Evidently, the venom only needs contact with a mucous membrane to work, because somehow the human's cock is hardening for a fourth time.

But the bigger surprise is when Chen flips his boneless partner onto his back, then hooks the human's wrists around his own knees.  They have never fucked face-to-face before, except for that first time on the living room carpet when the starving demon rode Minseok into oblivion.  But since that time, the act that sealed them to each other, both of them have elected to bend their partner over, taking from behind, since outside of completing the binding their sex has only ever been about hunger, conquest, domination, satiation. 

But now Minseok's on his back, gaping upward in surprise and desire, holding himself open and ready for the demon's invading cock.  And invade Chen does, sliding into Minseok's ass as if he was made to be there, as if his cock had been created to the exact specifications that would fill the human perfectly.  Chen watches his human's face as he sheathes himself in willing flesh, and the confident smirk paired with those always-hungry eyes, the way those serifed lips part around a voiceless gasp as he buries himself where he alone is allowed to be, sets the human's desire ablaze.  Minseok pours his fire down their link, watching the feedback loop start a self-feeding cycle where their arousal builds from their partner's arousal for them until the demon smirks again, rolling his hips in a way he fucking  _knows_  does indescribable things to the human beneath him.

Minseok obligingly holds his knees apart as the demon pumps away inside him, supporting himself on wiry forearms as he continues to bite his ownership all over the human's well-muscled chest.  Minseok's almost-healed burns sting a bit as the demon's thrusts slide him against the cotton sheets and he's not sure if he's going to come again or just shatter into a million tiny pieces as his body is pushed ruthlessly into overstimulation.  At this point he hardly cares, as long as the demon doesn't stop until one or the other occurs.

The human babbles out a litany of mostly-unintelligible words, not sure himself whether he's praising his familiar, demanding that he let Minseok come, or begging him to never stop fucking him.  The words hardly matter, as all of Minseok's conflicting needs are tangling over the link anyway, and the demon can only manage to respond with grunts and yells and gleeful screams.

But finally,  _finally_  Minseok is carving through the fog in his mind with a knife that tastes like the demon's name, his triumphant shout followed quickly by a thrilled wail from Chen's beautiful throat.  Minseok has never come four times in a row before--in less than a fucking _hour,_  no less--and he's barely sure he's still alive.  His eyes are nailed shut and the only muscles he seems to have conscious control over are the ones that let him pant and gasp and sigh as the demon chuckles happily and cleans off the human's skin, whatever rag he's using feeling rather a lot like that filthy tongue, especially when it swipes repeatedly over Minseok's leaking ass.

The demon disappears for a moment, tugging soiled towels from beneath the human as he goes, and when he comes back he smells minty-fresh and feels warm and happy and content in Minseok's arms.

"That's definitely the best," Chen asserts, totally confident that his incredible skills have completely blown the human's mind.

A corner of Minseok's kiss-swollen mouth twitches.  Fucking the demon is great, but so is fucking  _with_  the demon, so he flips one melted shoulder into a semblance of a shrug.  "Top five," he declares, and even though his words are slurred the demon still shrieks with indignation, writhing free of the human's grasp to kick his frustration against the sheets.

"Well, fucking  _pardon me_ , my insatiable prince, I'll be sure to make you come  _six_  fucking times next time, your precious majesty," comes the mocking retort, and Minseok chuckles at the demon's goal-oriented definition of good sex.

But he reminds himself that the demon has only ever fucked to feed, so any other approach--and therefore any other definition of success--is as incomprehensible to the demon as the demon's endless repertoire of foreign songs are to Minseok.  Beautiful, of course.  Relatable, sure.  But not completely understandable until someone takes the time to teach the words and their meanings to a receptive ear.

So Minseok throws a barely-cooperative arm out to find his disgruntled little demon, latching on to warm flesh and tugging the creature to his side once again.

"Don't always want you t' just make me _come_ ," Minseok mumbles through heavy lips.  "Just always want you t'  _come here_."

Chen continues to mutter protests as the human slowly entangles him in a cage of limbs, but he doesn't resist.  In fact, he lets out a sigh and cuddles closer, arranging himself more comfortably in his human's embrace.

The last thing Minseok hears as he drifts off is the demon's judgemental voice.

"Nice humans are  _so_  fucking  _weird_."

 

The next day is once again supposed to be the Chief Inspector's day off, but the paperwork is piling up yet again--as Minseok feared, there have indeed been reports of violent, lethal animal attacks in Bukhansan.  But at least when Minseok wakes up, he has a purring (yes, purring!) catboy as a body pillow, wearing only a pair of heather gray boxer-briefs (slit to accommodate his silky black tail, of course).

Minseok should get up.  He really should, especially because he's already slept an hour later than he usually does, and he has a lot to get through today.  On top of his usual home maintenance and personal care, paperwork, and demon-wrangling, he's got a stupid black tie fundraising soiree tonight, which he is  _so_  not looking forward to.  Schmoozing isn't his favorite way to spend an evening, not when he's got a warm and willing demon at home, and he doesn't even get to bring Chen with him.

_Chen_.  He's sprawled out on his stomach, arms burrowed under his pillow, gazing sleepily at his human through barely-opened eyes.  Minseok's climate control is set cool enough that the demon's warm skin feels nice against his own, and Minseok has one leg draped over Chen's ass and an arm thrown across his back.  The ever-swishing feline tail tickles as it brushes against Minseok's thigh, and that rumbling purr is so hypnotic.

But he's still going to be responsible and wrench himself away from this deceptively-sweet version of reality, except that Chen fucking  _smiles_.  

He smiles at Minseok when he sees the human has opened his eyes.  "Go back to sleep," he murmurs.  "You look like a grumpy kitten.  Close your squinty little kitty eyes and sleep for another hour."

"Can't," the Chief Inspector mumbles.  "Gotta go t' work, gotta get th' paperwork--"

"I already did that.  It's waiting on your desk.  And I got your breakfast; it's in the fridge.  So sleep--you know you want to."

Minseok blinks at the tempting creature.  "Aren't I sposta get an angel on m' other shoulder?"

"Nope, fresh out of angels.  They all died from overwork.  I'm not letting that happen to my angel-faced human, so cuddle your familiar and go back to sleep."

Minseok really should get up.  The demon's evidently saved him a lot of time, so he can just step over to his office and get cracking.  He doesn't even have to put pants on, he can just do paperwork in his boxers, coffee cup at his elbow, breakfast balanced on his knee.

But  _Chen_.  Warm and cuddly and smelling of spice and seduction.

Minseok tugs the demon onto his side, spoons him close with both arms wrapped around that tapered torso, hooks a heel around his ankles. and presses his face between his familiar's shoulder blades.  He closes his eyes as the demon's chuckle smooths back out into a lulling purr.

 

It's actually two hours later that Chen wakes his human up for the day, and the Chief Inspector would be more irate about wasting workable hours except that his eyes flutter open to kisses and a cup of really fucking good coffee.  They've only had the fancy machine for a few days, but sure enough, Chen had spent a night experimenting with all the various settings while Minseok slept, making the human taste the carefully-labeled results when he'd woken up in the morning, and that was all it took for Chen to become a worthy barista.

Minseok can think of worse ways to start a morning than lounging in bed, coffee in his hand and an attractive man's head resting on his thigh.  He strokes the demon's fluffy hair and pets his fuzzy kitty ears, and Chen rewards him with a curly-lipped smile and a near-constant purr.

"What's with all the purring today?" Minseok asks.  "Not that I'm complaining--I just had no idea you could do that."

"I hardly had a reason to before, so I kind of forgot I could.  But the link lit up when Taozi did it, and I want you to like me more than him."

"So this is jealous, possessive purring?" Minseok laughs, taking another sip of his coffee.  It's almost worth eternal damnation or whatever fate awaits him for making a contract with an incubus just to have coffee like this in bed whenever he allows himself to indulge.

"Shut up--you fucking love it."

"It is pleasant," Minseok agrees, rubbing the base of a pointed ear just to hear the sound intensify at his touch.

And it's pleasant to eat his breakfast at his desk, yes, still in his boxers, fresh kimbap in his hand, another cup of coffee at his elbow.  The paperwork is, as usual, boring to do but satisfying to finish, and it's amusing to look up from his work from time to time and see kitty-Chen lounging in his cat bed in the window.  He'd explained to Minseok that if his human wants to avoid exhaustion, the demon really should conserve energy when Minseok doesn't need his help or want verbal or fuckable company, and he highly approved of Minseok's choice of the bed's location.  Sometimes Chen presses a paw to the glass and chirps at whatever prey he sees out there, but more often, he's gazing at Minseok through heavy-lidded eyes, blinking dark copper eyes slowly at him whenever the human makes eye contact with his familiar.

And it's pleasant when the Chief Inspector sighs, bracing himself to read the reports from the Bukhansan Mountain Rescue, and suddenly finds himself with a lap full of purring cat.  Chen settles himself across Minseok's legs, kneading at one thigh with tiny black paws, rumbling like a diesel engine as the human gently strokes his head and neck.  

"That thing's killed six people so far, Chenny," Minseok sighs.  "I've got to figure out a way to catch or kill it--can a human even manage to kill a demon?"

Affirmation floats up the link.

"Are you going to tell me how?"

Indecision weighs heavy on the line.

"Still not convinced I wouldn't use the knowledge against you, huh?" Minseok huffs.

Chen looks up at him and meows, showing off all his pointy kitty teeth and his raspy pink tongue.

"Fine, we'll talk about it later," Minseok says, stroking the cat's head once again.

He sets the reports aside in favor of the necessary-but-tedious casework verifications, and he barely notices when the cat slinks off his lap.  He's not sure how long the cat is gone, but the next time he notices the cat is when his coffee mug is knocked to the floor, thunking on the thick carpet.

Minseok glares at the cat on his desk.  "I thought cats were supposed to be graceful," he chides, picking up the ceramic cup.  "You're lucky this was empty, and that it didn't break--watch what you're doing."

Chen meows at him, a long undulating sound.

"Hush, you."  Minseok boops the cat's nose with the end of his pen, making the offended feline wrinkle his face.  "Let me get some work done."

Chen continues to meow, but Minseok spent enough time as a patrol cop to be able to tune out loud sirens, so a cat is no threat to his concentration.  Unless he starts biting at the end of Minseok's pen whenever he tries to make another note.

"Stop that, you brat," the Chief Inspector chides, scooping the obnoxious feline off his desk and setting him on the floor.

But Chen just jumps up in Minseok's lap, then hops from there to the report he's trying to read, wrinkling the pages with his paws and giving the human an up-close and way-too-personal view of his tiny pink asshole.

"The fuck, ChenChen?" Minseok grumbles, placing the beast on the carpet once again.  "Behave yourself, or I'm kicking you out of my office."

But Chen will not be ignored.  He puts one paw on Minseok's knee, letting loose a lengthy, insistent sound at the top of his kitty lungs.  When Minseok scowls and reaches for him, he dodges out of range, meowing again, then trots toward the office door, yowling nearly constantly.  

Minseok sighs, stretching his back and rolling his neck.  "Why are you like this, Chenny-Chen?  Do you think your human needs a break?"  He looks down at his watch, then stands up with a start.  "Shit, I've got to get ready."

The yowling immediately ceases, the little black cat sitting smugly by the office door, tail wrapped tidily around his feet.  Minseok crosses the room towards him, scoops him up, and plants a smooch on his kitty lips despite the feline's efforts to turn his head away.

"Thanks, Chenny," Minseok acknowledges, then sets the cat back down.

Chen shakes his paw in disgust and then frantically washes his face.

"Don't give me that," Minseok calls over his shoulder as he heads to his bedroom.  "You totally licked my ass--after you came in it, you filthy little freak."

Offended, disgruntled static down their link is the demon's only reply.

 

"I hate these fucking things," Chief Inspector Kim Minseok mutters, struggling to tie a stupid piece of silk into a stupid bow around his already-strangled neck. 

He doesn't mind the rest of the formal wear all that much--on the contrary, he knows he looks damn fine and very authoritative in his dark pinstriped suit.  He may not know what Gucci is, but he knows who to trust when he needs to dress up, and Kibum has never let him down.  But this stupid fucking tie--he's tried three times already to form an acceptable knot and is about ready to throw the thing across the room.  It's a good thing he likes to get ready over an hour before he needs to leave so that he has plenty of time to shred his entire tie collection and buy a new one on the way.

"What things?  Soirees or bow ties?" his familiar asks, assuming his usual catboy form and rescuing the delicate fabric from his human's brutalizing hands.

"Yes," Minseok growls, but he holds still, chin in the air as Chen expertly decorates with silk the neck he's not allowed to decorate with bruises. 

The demon has been lounging on the bed in feline form, smugly watching his human curse steadily during the entire getting-ready process.  Evidently, he's also reached his limit.

"Come with me," Minseok demands as Chen fusses with the perfectly-tied bow.  The demon's silver tongue would make the evening go by much more smoothly.

Chen frowns.  "You know I will if you insist, but you also know that's not a good idea.  I wasn't invited, we don't have formal wear for me, and if you brought me as your plus-one that might make you unpopular with the older, more conservative members of this society shindig."

The Chief Inspector sighs.  He's not ashamed of his sexuality, and it irks him that he has to keep his private life  _very_  private indeed just to keep the old guard from giving him a hard time.  He's still rather young to be in his position, and he needs the support of those who've gone before.  He knows how to play the political games that keep everyone's "sensibilities" unoffended, but still, it rankles.

"It's too bad we can't just dress you up like a girl or something," he mumbles idly as the demon leaves his tie alone only to start fussing with his hair instead.

Chen stills.  "Y-yeah..." he says, but the link is a squirming tangle as he resumes his cat-like grooming.

Minseok grabs both the demon's hands to stop them from combing through his hair.  "ChenChen--what aren't you telling me?"

The demon's feline ears are flattened into his hair, as if trying to hide.  He looks at Minseok's chest as he admits, "I can... sort of... be... a girl?"

Minseok doesn't breathe for the space of three heartbeats.  Is his demon actually  _blushing_?  "You can't just say that and not explain."

"I can."

"Chenny."

The demon sighs.  "Okay,  _fine_ \--I can alter my appearance a bit.  I'd still have a dick, because Junmyeon bound me to a male cat, but I can... augment... the top half."

Minseok blinks at him, surprised at his own lack of surprise.  If one's life depends on seduction, it's convenient if one can appeal to a wide audience, he supposes.  "Then do it," Minseok commands his familiar.  "This stupid shindig is all the way across town, and it fucking hurts to be that far away from you for very long."

Chen sighs.  "Fine--how does my perverse little human want his chick with a dick?"

Minseok wrinkles his nose.  "I honestly don't care--however you're most comfortable, I guess."

"I'm most comfortable like  _this_."  Chen gestures at his very nude, very male figure.  His face is a mask of disdain, but something odd is floating down the link, something a bit... insecure?

The Chief Inspector steps close to his demon, rather liking the dynamic where he's dressed to kill and the demon is  _un_ dressed, but that's something to be explored later.  "Hey," he says, nuzzling his familiar's face.  "I'm most comfortable with  _this_ , too.  I just need you to go undercover for me for a few hours.  Spend some of that precious energy, do me this favor, and when we get home, I'll show you just how much I appreciate that you're not actually a girl."  He presses a kiss to one sharp cheekbone, avoiding those venomous lips because these trousers really aren't cut to accommodate that sort of complication.

Chen turns into the kiss, link still transmitting displeasure but far less anxiety.  "We still don't have anything for me to wear," The demon reminds him.

"Just put on some flannel pants and a T-shirt, we'll stop on the way."

"Stop where?" the demon whines, but he goes to tug on some clothing before following Minseok out the door.

 

"Where" is a well-stocked boutique called Two Moons, and it's where Minseok goes to surrender his body and his wallet whenever he needs to look good.  They carry women's fashion as well as men's, so he parks the car at the curb and basically shoves Chen--or the person who used to be Chen?  In through the doors and into Kibum's capable hands.

Kibum, a sweet-faced man with a ready grin and a personal style way bolder than Minseok's own--as his currently green-streaked hairstyle can attest--takes one look at Chen--Chenderella?  They're going to have to find something feminine to call him--and both of his immaculately-groomed eyebrows tangle in his wavy, green bangs.

Chen is wearing sandals, flannel pants, and an oversized white T-shirt, as well as dark, collarbone-length hair and modest feminine curves that are honestly kind of weirding Minseok out.  Chen's face still looks mostly like Chen usually does, just softer, and Minseok's not sure how to feel about this version of a face and body he usually finds very, very attractive.

Evidently, Kibum also finds Chen attractive, or at least cute, because he immediately tsks at Minseok like he's been caught kicking puppies or something.  "Kim Minseok, who is this and why is she in such deplorable condition while you're walking around in that fancy-ass suit?"

"Kibum, I'm glad you're working tonight.  This is--"  Minseok thinks quickly.  He can't call "her" Chen, but Taozi calls Chen Daedae, which isn't really a female name but-- "This is Dana.  She's my last-minute date for this stupid fancy  _thing_  so can you just be her fairy godfather for me and get her ready for the ball?"  Minseok offers the man his credit card and a winning smile.

Kibum narrows his eyes.  "If you think you can just march in here with a poor underdressed girl and give me all of your money to make her look like the princess she is--"  Kibum approaches, finger waving in reprimand--right up until he snatches Minseok's card.  "Then you're absolutely right.  Come with me, Beautiful--we'll make you look so good, our pushy Chief Inspector will be reduced to being  _your_  arm candy."

Chen laughs and lets Kibum lead "her" away, looking over one shoulder to toss Minseok a cheeky wink.

_Great._   Not only is Minseok's wallet about to be thrashed, but his already-cocky demon is going to get a huge ego boost.  This might not have been the Chief Inspector's best idea.

But at least when he's pulling off hare-brained ideas, he chooses the most competent accomplices, because it's not even an hour before a beautiful woman walks up to him and smirks.  She's wearing a slinky blue evening gown that glides over womanly curves and fastens around her neck, leaving her shapely shoulders bare and accentuating her narrow waist.  Her hair has been put up with sparkling hairpins covered in what look like sapphires, leaving a few loose princess waves to frame her tastefully-made-up face.

Minseok blinks stupidly at her, then his eyes go wide when he recognizes Chen's signature Cheshire grin.  "Well.  Kibum sure knows what the fuck he's doing."

"Yes, yes I do--but the next time you need me to transform a cutie into a hottie, please try not to wait until the very last minute.  You're lucky we had everything we needed in the right size."

Minseok tries to look as repentant as possible (and tries not to choke as he signs the bill).  "I know I asked a lot of you, but you absolutely pulled it off." 

He gapes at Chen again, who just grins back at him while Minseok collects the shopping bag full of receipts and tags and the pajamas Chen had been wearing when they came in.  As they walk to the car, Chen slips an arm through Minseok's, and he almost trips as he looks up at his smirking demon.  Yes, up, because evidently Kibum had decided high heels were in order just to kick a perfectly-average-height guy when he's down.

"Are you pleased with your date, Chief Inspector?" Chen purrs.

Minseok bites his lip as he assists Chen into the car.  "Honestly, I'm so conflicted right now.  You still look like you, and I'm attracted to you, but you also look so feminine and I'm very, very gay.  My dick can't decide if it's interested or not."

"Well,  _my_  dick is currently duct taped between my legs, so you must be less conflicted than I am right now."

Minseok winces as he pilots the car across town.  "Fuck, I'm sorry--I didn't mean to force you to be so uncomfortable."

Chen shrugs.  "Eh, I'm planning my revenge.  It'll keep me occupied during this boring-ass party until you take me home and feed me."  Suddenly a twinge of trepidation slips across the link.  "You  _are_  gonna let me be my normal self before you feed me, right?"

"Oh fuck yes," Minseok agrees immediately, flicking his eyes briefly at Chen before returning them to the road in front of them.  "Why are you so worried?"

Bitterness rolls down the link.  "Well,  _some_  humans like to decree that the demons they summon assume certain forms or they don't get fed, even if the human was stupid enough to bind them into a specifically male form, rendering the human's demand impossible."

It takes Minseok a beat, but then his eyebrows shoot to his hairline.  "Wait--are you talking about Junmyeon?"

Chen makes a disgusted sound.  

"That's why you were starving?  Because he bound you as male but wouldn't feed you that way?"  Minseok signals before changing lanes, refusing to take out his rising indignation on his fellow travelers.

"He didn't believe me that I couldn't assume a fully female form, and he refused to let me go or complete the binding 'til I did."

Minseok is confused.  "Shouldn't he have summoned a succubus in the first place, if he wanted a female?"

"Succubi and incubi are basically the same thing, it just depends what form they prefer.  We can all go either way or any combination thereof--unless we're bound when summoned."

"Huh.  Would you be fully male if you weren't bound?"  Minseok pulls into the valet parking circle of the fancy venue.

"I'm most comfortable that way.  Anything else feels like I'm borrowing someone else's body."  Chen waits for Minseok to come around and help him out of the car. 

Minseok does so with elegance.  "Well, lucky for both of us, you won't have to borrow someone else's body for more than a few hours.  In the meantime, I'm going to exploit your ability to charm the fuck out of a bunch of stodgy rich men.  The Good Sharing charity is one of Father Zhang's passions, and I'd love to raise a lot of money for them--they really need it."

"What do they do?" Chen asks as he links his arm in Minseok's, smiling at the doormen who look over the Chief Inspector's invitation briefly before bowing and waving him inside.

"They provide proper respectful funerals for those whose bodies go unclaimed.  Either those we can't identify, or those that have no known relatives, or whose relatives are too poor to provide the funeral themselves."

"Huh.  So, people like Junmyeon?"  Chen is already bowing, smiling, and waving fingers at anyone who bows at Minseok.

Minseok winces.  "Yeah, people like him.  But also elderly that live alone, and suicide victims, the homeless--there are around a thousand bodies each year that no one steps forward for."

"Hmm.  Well, if it's important to you, I suppose I can help."

The Chief Inspector smiles at his reluctant ally.  "Thank you," he says sincerely, enjoying the frisson of bashfulness that scampers up the link.  "You're the best familiar ever."

"Damn right, I am."

And Chen, a.k.a "Dana," proves it, totally enchanting anyone Minseok introduces his "friend" to.  No one can resist the subtle compliments, the sympathetic cooing over the poor, unclaimed grandmothers and grandfathers who wouldn't be sent to the afterlife with respect except for such  _kind_  and  _honorable_  people like whomever the demon has targeted at the moment.  Minseok loves watching Chen work, finding it fascinating that people he's known to be cold, recalcitrant, only showing up to charity functions to appear like they care, are actually moved to donate more than usual once the demon bends their ear.  

He is indeed reduced to being his familiar's arm candy, smiling and bowing and introducing the devious creature, then letting the demon do all the work while Minseok fetches champagne or fancy finger foods or just stands there and looks pretty.  It's kind of ironic that he's the fashion accessory after he basically commanded his familiar to alter his body just to protect the Chief Inspector's sociopolitical standing, but he finds he doesn't mind.  Chen is having fun, Yixing will be thrilled, and Seoul's neglected will be able to rest in peace.

Right up until the Chief Inspector introduces his little con artist to a middle-aged politician, National Assemblyman Lee Myungbak.  Chen's elegantly-manicured hand tightens on Minseok's arm, and while the demon still proceeds to execute the fluid routine, little fluttery waves of--what?  Fear?  Aggression?  Something is pulsing across the link even as Chen smiles and flirts.  But for once, the demon's target seems less susceptible to "Dana's" charms.

"Chief Inspector, congratulations on solving that triple kidnapping case," the impeccably-dressed Assemblyman says, but his tone of voice is strange, almost insincere.  "I hear you had some unorthodox help in the matter?"

Chen's fingers are pressing into Minseok's arm so hard he's sure there'll be bruises, but still the Chief Inspector smiles.  "Ah, not so unusual--we use civilian consultants all the time.  We draw on every resource in order to serve and protect."

The Assemblyman's smile is almost like a sneer.  "How fortunate such help was available to assist your floundering team.  What exactly led this  _consultant_  to recommend searching that area of Bukhansan?  It seems like only someone who was  _involved_  could make such an accurate suggestion."

Now Minseok's hackles are up, though he's determined not to show it.  "The consultant in question had worked with us on a previous case that turned out to be related.  Information from that case pointed toward the location."

"How  _interesting,_ " the Assemblyman says, though his tone implies disgust or disappointment.  "Well, I do hope your miracle consultant remains above reproach, Chief Inspector.  If this  _civilian_ does turn out to be somehow involved in such deplorable things, that is sure to reflect badly on the whole department,  _especially_  whoever authorized the consultancy."

Minseok's smile shows all of his teeth.  He'd rather not have anyone looking into the origins or history of a person who didn't exist prior to their assistance to the police--but the police use anonymous or even criminal sources all the time, so he's not sure what the Assemblyman is getting at. 

"The department makes use of credible information from _any_ source, regardless of current or prior affiliation," the Chief Inspector informs Assemblyman Lee politely but firmly.  "The important thing in this case is that three young lives were saved, not the character of those who helped save them--though in this particular case, I cannot speak highly enough of the consultant in question."

Assemblyman Lee's grin is cruel.  "And is this your...  _personal_  opinion, Chief Inspector?"

Minseok's blood runs cold for a moment until he remembers he's not actually doing anything wrong.  Police draw consultants from a wide pool, occasionally including spouses or family members of officers or staff.  If this old-fashioned ass disapproves of the Chief Inspector's private relationship, Minseok doesn't care--his team has his back.

"Of course it's my personal opinion, honorable Assemblyman.  But it's an opinion the rest of my department seems to share.  I am truly fortunate to have such a _loyal_ , hard-working team, and any successes we have are the product of a _unified_ effort."

"That  _is_  very fortunate, Chief Inspector.  I wish you and your team  _every_  continued success."  The Assemblyman bows, strolling away as if the entire world were his to look down on.

As the Assemblyman moves out of earshot, Minseok's smile dissolves into a wince.  He pats Chen's hand on his arm until the demon releases the bruising grasp, but the weird flickers down the link haven't ended with the unpleasant man's departure.

"Man, that guy has always been insulting, but usually he sticks to how I'm too young and not married and not a father and therefore not qualified to be a good protector.  I don't know  _what_  that was about except homophobia, maybe.  Why is it somehow worse for me to date a guy when men like him are getting divorces, cheating on their wives with the nanny, getting caught with prostitutes--"

"It's him," Chen whispers, and Minseok once again notices how full of electricity their link is.

"Who?"  

"That Assemblyman.  He's the fourth guy from the warehouse."


	11. Fureign Jurhissdiction

Chief Inspector Kim Minseok likes to think of himself as someone who thinks well on their feet, so he only gapes internally at this feminine version of his familiar as they stand in the middle of the fund-raising soiree.

"Are you sure?"  he asks with an easy smile, strolling calmly toward the bar because  _fuck_  he could use a drink at this point.

Chen's indignation is no less potent on a female face.  "Of course I'm sure--I might be drowning in perfume but I can still smell a rat when one scurries up to me."

Minseok presses his lips together.  "So that was some kind of threat, then?  Do you think he recognized you?  Oh--but he's never seen you before, has he?"

Chen shakes a head adorned with sparkling hairclips.  "I don't want to talk about it here."

Minseok pats his familiar's red-lacquered hand reassuringly.  "Okay, you're right.  But if that was a threat, I don't want him to think it worked, so we're going to schmooze for another hour or so." 

Chen whines behind his photo-ready smile as the Chief Inspector flags the barman down and orders two whiskeys.

Minseok sighs.  "What is this evening going to cost me, besides a huge chunk of my cash and what remains of my dignity in the bedroom?"

Chen doesn't even hesitate.  "I want one of those game system station things for the TV.  Taozi said Sehun has a box thing and there's this game where you get to be a half-demon or something and you run around and kill things with, like, swords and magic and shit, and there's another one where they get to shoot, like, mutant reptiles, and he says sometimes he and Sehun just sit there on the couch and kill things and make out and maybe we could do that."  Chen gives him an aegyo pout just as the bartender arrives with the whiskeys.

"Man, you've got your hands full," the barkeep chuckles as he sets the tumblers down in front of Minseok and accepts the bills the Chief Inspector hands him in exchange.

"Boy, do I," Minseok agrees, earning another chuckle as the barman heads back to ease someone else's evening.

Minseok is wryly amused to note that he finds the femininity of the demon's pout to be the most jarring part of his request.  He was prepared to be commanded to purchase more painful sex toys, but the demon is always cackling at the violent video games he has on his phone--of course he'd want to enjoy similar things on a larger screen.

"Get Taozi to either figure out what the box is called or text you a photo of it, because if we get you the same kind, it'll be easier for the two of you to shoot things in the face together from your own respective sofas."

Chen's perfectly-groomed eyebrows lift.  "Oh, that'd be awesome--but I also want to shoot things with  _you_ , Minseokkie."  This is accompanied by the demon's head on his shoulder and a lash-batting gaze up at him, despite the demon's heel-enhanced greater height.

Minseok frowns at his little vixen.  "Now you're being ultra-girly just to weird me out, aren't you?"

"Oh, but Chief Inspector, this must be the sort of thing you like, if you insist on having a lady as your date."  More lash-batting, but it doesn't erase the mischief from the accompanying smirk.

The Chief Inspector rolls his eyes.  "I didn't insist on a lady, I insisted on  _you_.  Societal pressures dictated that you be a lady."

Chen gives him wide, glistening anime-eyes, turning slightly on Minseok's arm so that soft, feminine curves rub up against his bicep.  "Should Seoul be concerned that their Chief Inspector is the sort of man that bows to societal pressures instead of being true to his own character?"

"But you were the one that said--" 

A soft simpering gasp exits red-painted lips.  "Oh, and I hear he blames the advice of  _demons_  for his own poor decisions--I'm worried for the man's mental competance!"

Minseok gives up.  He tosses back his whiskey before closing his eyes, using his free hand to pinch the bridge of his nose as he sighs.  "I should have left you in that fucking circle."

 

Chen loses his feminine charms as soon as Minseok assists him into the car, and by the time the Chief Inspector makes it around the vehicle to slide into the driver's seat, the other occupant of the car has his ears flat to his head and his dress and tail bunched up around his waist as he hisses and curses and peels duct tape from delicate flesh.  Minseok watches in horror as Chen's manhood is laboriously liberated, and when the last piece of duct tape has been flung onto the floor of the car beside the shredded remains of a lacy thong, the demon glowers at his human, letting all his stinging pain and wounded dignity flood the link.

"You're gonna kiss it and make it better," Chen declares, rubbing the offended organ.

Minseok nods vehemently.  "So many kisses," he promises.  "As soon as we get home."

Disturbing show over, Minseok puts the car in gear and transports his sulky demon across town, stealing sympathetic glances at the demon's exposed lap at red lights.  Of course, the demon's therapeutic rubbing eventually becomes lascivious stroking, making Minseok grateful for the tinted windows.

When they're parked in the underground lot below their apartment building, Minseok pulls the shopping bag out of the back seat.  "Do you want to walk across the lobby with a boner in a dress, or walk across the lobby with a boner in pajamas?"

"I'll wear the pajamas, but I won't have a boner," Chen replies as Minseok digs the requested clothing out of the logo-emblazoned plastic bag.

"Oh, is that one of your incubus tricks?"

"No--you're going to suck me off right here before we go in."

Minseok presses his lips together, giving the demon a stern look.  It's not that he minds sucking Chen off.  In fact, he was already planning to.  But sex in cars is awkward and inconvenient, not to mention that this is a company car, and he'd really rather not have bodily fluids in it.

But Chen is looking at him with those onyx eyes rimmed with silvery smoke, and the silver hoops on his earlobes catch the safety lights of the underground garage.  Why does he have to be so fucking alluring all the fucking time?  Oh right--because he'd literally die if he wasn't.

"Fine," Minseok agrees.  "But if I suck you here, then I fuck you upstairs."

"Because you wear the pants in this relationship?" the demon goads.

"Seeing as you're usually bare-assed or lounging around in my underwear, yes.  Yes, I do."

"Fair enough," the demon acknowledges, then aims his jutting erection in Minseok's direction.  

Sighing, Minseok leans over and sucks.

The angle is awkward, the console is in the way, and the demon's cock is still sticky with foul-tasting adhesive, but Minseok does his best.  He knows this is more about power than it is about pleasure at the moment, but the demon has suffered this evening and Minseok is willing to acknowledge that, plus his feline bloodhound has actually managed to identify a key person of interest.  So Minseok sucks and bobs and hums, looking up at his smug little familiar smirking down at him with too-red lips.

As expected, the link is humming with smug superiority with only a hint of lust.  "How many dicks has the Chief Inspector sucked while wearing a fancy suit?  And how many has he sucked while in his super-clean secret cop car?  And how many has he sucked while the owner was wearing a fancy, expensive dress?"

Minseok doesn't bother to respond, because they both know the answers already.  Well, Minseok's sucked dick in a suit before, but it's been a long while, and it was hardly a suit this fancy.

Instead, he hums, using one hand to press firmly on the demon's taint as he slides the other up and down the cock in his mouth.  Chen tangles fingers through his hair, twitching his hips upward.

"Wanna fuck that pretty mouth," Chen gasps, so Minseok lets go of the cock in his fist and relaxes his throat before nodding up at the ecstatic demon.

Lust finally dominates their link as Chen moans and sighs while he thrusts into Minseok's throat, and Minseok hums obligingly around the enthusiastic cock sliding in and out of his mouth.  The fingers in his hair tighten to a painful degree, but Minseok stays relaxed and willing because Chen's hair is stuck to the bits of duct tape on the floor mat and _holy fuck_ that had to hurt worse.

He hums a bit louder as he lets his familiar skull-fuck him, and it's not long before the demon is shouting his victory and pulsing down Minseok's throat.  Minseok waits until he's sure the demon's ecstasy has dissolved before sitting up and swallowing, because he really doesn't want any evidence left in the vehicle at all.

He looks over at the blissful demon, smoky eyes closed, painted mouth drawn into a wide, satisfied grin, blue slinky fabric rucked up to his narrow waist to expose his softening cock.  Minseok could do without the lip tint, but the royal blue looks nice against the demon's skin, even in the semi-darkness.

"You look good like that," he says, then waits for the demon's self-satisfied smile before he tosses the flannel pants onto that smug face.  "Now change."

 

Once safely within the apartment, the demon strips as per usual, then presses his naked body up to the Chief Inspector's and lands several lipstick-laden kisses on Minseok's face.

"Stop that," he protests, but the demon only laughs.

"Why?  Want lipstick rings around your cock instead?"

"No!   ...But you could keep the eyeliner if you wanted, and the earrings are pretty hot."  Minseok likes the way earrings look on himself, too, but he doesn't often wear them due to the strict police dress code, and it's not like he sees other people he wants to impress on his days off.

" _You_  should wear earrings."

Then again, maybe he just got a reason to wear them more often.  "I will if you like," he agrees easily.

The demon's brow lifts.  "Really?  What else will you wear for me?"

Minseok shrugs, picking up the demon's discarded clothing (as usual) and heading toward the bedroom to finally rid himself of the hated bow tie (though he feels like his right to complain about uncomfortable clothes is rescinded).  "I don't really think it'd be fair of me to reject much at this point."

"Damn straight," the demon grumbles, striding after him.  When he sees Minseok stripping in front of his closet, Chen tsks.  "Aw, not gonna fuck me in your fancy suit?"

Minseok looks up at his familiar, eyes dark.  "Oh, believe me, I'd love to.  But I don't really want to get it dirty, plus we both need showers, but first I want to know more about our greasy Assemblyman.  You said you didn't think he recognized you?"

Chen flops down on the bed, shaking his head.  "Well, I don't think he realized I'm Chen, nor do I think he'd recognize male Chen out of a lineup, but I think he suspects that your new consultant may be Junmyeon's former captive.  I mean, that guy berated me all the time about how much he hated me and my uncooperative nature, so I'm sure he ranted to all the rest of his demon-summoning gang.  But the papers reported Junmyeon lived alone, so he probably wondered what had happened to his uncooperative almost-familiar, and then suddenly someone is telling the police things that are a little too helpful for an evil would-be overlord's comfort."

Minseok hums.  "Well, this complicates things.  I can't exactly go arrest the guy for conspiracy to commit murder because you smelled him at a crime scene.  But he basically threatened you, plus he's a scumbag, so I can't just let him go free--plus there's that whole butcher demon to worry about."

But Chen just shrugs.  "You can't do anything about it tonight, so why worry about it now?  Worry about your poor suffering familiar instead--My dick is still all sticky, and the blowjob was nice but it didn't actually feed me and it takes a lot of energy to be human, not to mention alter my appearance like that."

"Then go get your sticky dick in the shower, and I'll come help you scrub it thoroughly as soon as I'm undressed."

Chen bounces toward the bathroom, swapping feline appendages for demonic ones, and then Minseok hears the water start.  He can hear Chen singing something sweet and flowing as the demon plays with the taps, and when Minseok enters the bathroom a few moments later, he's surprised to find that the demon has already adjusted the human's side of the shower to the temperature Minseok prefers.

"Thanks," he acknowledges as he steps beneath the spray, but the demon is too busy scrubbing at his own crotch to reply--not that he would anyway.

Minseok tilts his head at the frustrated demon.  "I think rubbing alcohol might help."

The demon looks up, face incredulous.  "Alcohol?  You want to put alcohol on my junk?"

Minseok rolls his eyes.  "It's not gonna burn or anything unless it comes into contact with mucous membranes, you baby.  Besides, I thought you were into pain."

The demon continues to give Minseok a look of disgust.

"Would you rather turn into a cat and lick it off?"

More disgust.

"Then just come here," Minseok instructs, stepping out of the shower onto the fuzzy blue bath mat.  "Sit up here on the counter."  Minseok pats the white marble surface invitingly.

The demon reluctantly obeys, though a bit of smug vengefulness sizzles up the link as the demon drips all over the floor and the counter.

Minseok ignores the mess, because the demon's going to be the one to clean it up eventually anyway.  He pulls the rubbing alcohol from the cupboard under the sink along with a package of cotton buds.  "Spread 'em," he commands, knocking the demon's knees apart.  

Chen whines continuously as Minseok carefully removes the residue with alcohol-dipped cotton buds, being extra cautious not to get the solvent near more delicate tissues.  By the time he's finished, Chen is hard and smirking down at him.

"You sure like having your face in my lap today, Minseokkie," he purrs.  "Gonna suck me again like a good little human?"

Minseok scoffs.  "Not when your junk is covered in alcohol.  Go scrub, then we'll see."

The demon hops back into the scalding spray on his side of the shower as Minseok cleans up, finally smiling as he seductively massages his own body with the spicy-scented demon scrub.

"You like watching me, don't you?" he accuses playfully.

Minseok just nods as he starts washing his own body.  The demon already knows he's the sexiest fucking thing the Chief Inspector has ever seen, so there's no reason to hide it.  Especially when a certain, previously-ignored part of Minseok's body is obviously interested in the man standing beneath the other showerhead.

When they've finished washing themselves, Minseok tugs his squeaky-clean-yet-still-entirely-filthy little demon over to his side, ignoring the creature's whine at the difference in water temperature.  He crowds Chen against the wall, blocking the demon's face from the spray with his own body, letting all his thirst for his familiar's very male body flood the link.  Minseok claims several slow, probing, surprisingly venom-free kisses, then begins systematically mouthing at Chen's lovely neck.  He slowly works his way from the demon's ear to his shoulder, rolling his hips slowly to slide his cock against soft, slippery skin as he kisses and sucks and nips his way down that delicious throat, pouring his appreciation through their link the whole time.

Chen grumbles at first, but he's soon moaning beneath Minseok's wandering hands, his own fingers scrabbling against the newly-healed skin of the human's back.  Minseok strokes Chen's sides before letting his hands rest on the demon's hips, thumbs flirting with the sensitive hollows beside the bones.

"I'm sorry for making you alter this beautiful, perfect body.  You know you turn me on so much just like this--I love fucking this gorgeous fucking body.  I'm gonna make you mine, gonna fill this perfect body with my come like no one else can."

Minseok turns the water off, then hauls the dampened demon out onto the bathmat.  He tosses a sky blue bath towel at the beast, but Chen only seems interested in drying a certain body part.

"Don't you dare defile my fluffy towel," Minseok warns as he rubs his own towel over his hair.

Chen just grins, moving the towel more quickly.  He starts moaning in an exaggerated fashion, grinning at the disgusted reaction the Chief Inspector predictably gives him.

Minseok yanks the poor, misused towel from the demon's filthy paws, then rubs it over the creature's head, squeezing handfuls of hair between those curving black horns.  The demon uses his now free hands to start stroking the human's eager cock, making Minseok moan and then growl with frustration. 

He tosses both towels on the countertop.  "Stay," he commands his mischievous familiar, then darts into the bedroom to grab the lube from the nightstand.  He pours some in his palm and tosses the bottle back in the drawer, stroking himself as he returns to the giggling demon in the bathroom.

Minseok once again pins his fiendish fuckbuddy to the wall, claiming kiss after lust-filled kiss, filling his hands with the creature's chest and abs and ass, slapping the demon's groping paws away any time he tries to touch either leaking cock.  When the demon's whines reach a crescendo, Minseok squats, hooks his arms beneath the demon's thighs, and stands back up.

With a startled yelp, Chen is lifted and slammed against the cool white tiles, his knees hung over the human's elbows.  Minseok has folded his familiar into a spread-open, very receptive position against the wall, and he grins at the demon's surprise.

Minseok angles his hips so his slick cock is probing between the demon's cheeks.  "Open for me, ChenChen.  Your pretty little human's gonna fuck you through this wall."

Moaning in anticipation, Chen twists in Minseok's arms to reach beneath himself and guide the human's cock to the desired destination.  Feeling the kiss of Chen's asshole on the head of his cock, Minseok groans, getting an answering whimper from the creature in his arms as he presses his cock into the demon's hot depths.

"Fuck, Chenny, always so tight.  I used to be a careful, considerate lover, and now all I ever want is to tear you the fuck apart," Minseok confesses as he starts to hammer the object of his desire against the tile.  " _Fuck_."

Chen whines as his body is used, fingers digging bruises into Minseok's shoulders as he holds on for dear life.  He's clenching around Minseok so hard it almost hurts to continue to force himself in and out.  With their pleasure and lust building as it reflects back and forth down the link, on top of all the teasing in the shower, Minseok feels his orgasm quickly rolling to the surface.

" _Fuck_ , so fucking  _hot_ , you're gonna make me come in you already, sexy ChenChen.  Kiss me so I stay hard--I'm gonna hammer you into this wall all fucking night."

Chen obliges with a whimper, and Minseok's lips light up with tingles, adding to the euphoric sensation as he growls and empties his balls into the beast in his arms.  He doesn't stop thrusting, though, hissing through the period of hypersensitivity as he continues to plow his familiar against the tile.  He can feel Chen's asshole leaking his come, allowing the hot fluid to run down the underside of his shaft to dribble onto his balls.

From the way Chen moans and clenches, Minseok can guess the demon can feel it, too.  He grins smugly at his little demon.  "You like that, handsome Chenny?  You like feeling my come drip out of you?  You know that means I'm just gonna have to fill you back up."

Chen moans at this, then surprises Minseok when he pants a question into the heated air between them.  "When do I get to come?"

Minseok's eyebrows lift, then he smirks.  He hadn't thought about restricting the beast's pleasure, but since the creature offered-- "How long can you hold out, Mister I'm-a-fucking-incubus?"

The demon's resulting frustrated scowl just makes the human laugh.  "For-fucking-ever, if you must know--do you plan to fuck me until your dick's raw?"

Minseok just grins, still pumping away inside his whiny little familiar.  "I'm in good shape, but I can't hold you here for-fucking-ever.  I'm gonna fill your ass twice more while you watch me fuck you in the mirror, then you can explode all over me like the possessive little freak you are."

Obediently, Chen turns his head to the side, then his expression shutters and the link crackles with a strange sort of pleasure as he catches sight of his own flushed body jouncing against the pale tile.  "Fuck," he whimpers, and the grinning human leans forward to nip at the demon's presented cheekbone.

"Yes, that's it, Chenny--watch your pretty little human pound the fuck out of you.  Watch me tear you a-fucking-part."  Minseok doubles his efforts, concussing a jagged wail from his familiar's abused body.  "Watch how you take my cock so fucking well--it's like you were made just to take my fucking cock--ah!"

Minseok groans in satisfaction as he pumps his demon full once again, the demon leaning forward without being prompted to smear more venom over Minseok's parted lips.

"So good, gorgeous ChenChen," Minseok moans, lips tingling as more of his own come slides down his dick to drip from his balls.  "Oh,  _fuck_ , you feel so fucking good."

Chen whines as Minseok renews his assault, juddering the demon's body against the wall as he moans his appreciation.  Chen's eyes are locked on their reflection, and from the angle of his gaze and the fascinated lust pulsing down their link, Minseok can guess that he's never watched himself being fucked before.

"Do you like watching yourself being speared on your human's cock?  Does it turn you on to watch your sloppy little hole swallow what's only yours?  Are you excited to watch yourself spurt all over my chest as I fuck my come deep inside you?"

Chen is whining and keening almost continuously now, high, breathy little sounds interrupted only by the thumping of his body into the glazed porcelain behind him.  He's still watching himself, but his eyes are reduced to glittering slits, and the bouncing of his head could be a nod in answer to Minseok's teasing questions or it could just be the reverberation from Minseok's energetic thrusts.  The whole picture is so lewd, so hot, and Minseok fucking loves it, fucking loves how much power the demon begrudgingly lets his human have.

"Clench harder for me, Chenny," Minseok pants in his demon's bright-red ear.  "Tighten up that fucked-out hole so your pretty little human can fill your hot little ass one more time."

Chen obliges, whining as he does, and it feels incredible.  The sensations on his dick, the demon's satisfying little pants as he's used, the strangely sexy tinge of embarrassment leaking down their link from the flushed and frustrated demon, it all adds up to something hotter than Minseok has ever had with anyone else.  Except that, not for the first time, Minseok feels a twinge of shame in his chest at taking advantage of his familiar's obligation to do anything the human wants if it'll get him a good meal.  But he quickly soothes his conscience with the realization that just because the demon  _has_  to please him doesn't mean Minseok can't appreciate his efforts.

"That's it," he praises.  "Such a good little familiar."  He grins at the incredibly debauched creature in his arms.  "Good little familiars get to come as soon as the human does, so do your best, ChennyChen."

At that, his good little familiar's whine reaches new heights and the link floods with indignation even as he clenches even more tightly around Minseok's cock, his nails scratching the human's back in an effort to pull his face close enough to kiss.  As their lips crash together hard enough to bruise, so much venom floods Minseok's mouth that he can taste the bitter substance, making his whole mouth feel like he licked a handful of batteries.  

Minseok slams into Chen even harder, the venom goading him to throw everything else aside in favor of chasing down his release.  The demon produces a staggered, hiccuping wail as he's mercilessly hammered into the tile, bouncing like a rag doll on Minseok's driving cock.  The human's orgasm builds again starting deep in his gut and he groans happily at its approach, voice breaking around a shout as he finally crests the wave of pleasure for a final time.  The demon's own wail quickly becomes a scream of joy and Minseok feels his chest coated with hot viscous fluid as Chen's cock throbs against his stomach.

As the demon siphons off the energy he needs to survive, Minseok has the sudden and sickening realization that he has planned incredibly poorly.  Already nearing the end of his stamina after holding Chen up and hammering away for so long, the Chief Inspector drops to the floor like a marionette whose strings have been cut, and only the demon's cat-like reflexes keep him from landing on top of the immobilized human.

Instead, Chen ends up on his hands and knees astride Minseok's barely-conscious body, cackling with laughter at his human's hubris.  "From fucking to fucked up," the demon crows.  "Poor little Minseokkie."

Minseok attempts a scowl.  "I better not wake up on the fucking floor," he mumbles as fiercely as he can before he succumbs to exhaustion.

He rouses briefly as Chen feeds him a snack and carries him to bed, the familiar's obligatory caretaking re-opening the twinge of shame.  "Don't hafta stay," Minseok murmurs against the demon's bare chest as he's tucked beneath the cool cotton sheets.

Amusement filters down the link.  "Where could I go?" the demon asks with a chuckle.  "You're stuck with me, remember?"

Minseok shakes his head against the pillow, eyes weighted shut.  "I mean, don't hafta stay in bed w' me."

Chen pauses in his ministrations.  "I thought you liked being cuddled."

"I do," Minseok sighs.  "But you think it's weird 'nd I've already forced you t' do enough weird shit t'night.  'M always forcing you--'s cruel."

"Oh, hush," the demon scoffs.  "I think  _you're_  weird for liking it so much, but compared with what other humans have forced me to do, cuddling is hardly cruel.  And if you're not forcing me to do shit, I'm manipulating you instead.  I've never had more freedom, nor have I ever been less abused."  He settles into his usual position, tugging Minseok's boneless limbs over his own bare body until he's tangled beneath his human.  "If you want to feel guilty about how cruel you are to your poor familiar, you're gonna need to step up your game." 

Minseok can feel the smile on Chen's lips as the demon kisses his shoulder.  "Now quit fretting and go to sleep, my weird little human."

Minseok obediently lets slumber take hold of his mind.

  
The next morning, Minseok is pounced awake by an enthusiastic catboy shoving his pink phone in the human's face displaying an Instagram-quality photo of the "game system station box thing" that Sehun plays with Taozi.  Minseok orders Chen a matching unit before he even gets out of bed to pee, grateful that this particular expensive toy should only be able to cause him _mental_ anguish when he gets his ass kicked by a total neophyte.

When they get to the station, it turns out mental anguish is the theme of the day, because despite the Chief Inspector's best efforts, he can turn up absolutely nothing incriminating on the Assemblyman.  However, it's disturbing to note that people who get on the man's bad side have a strange habit of getting into trouble, whether it be in their marriage, their career, their education, or with the law.  The guy is sketchy as fuck, but there's nothing concrete, just a bunch of strange coincidences that make Minseok grind his teeth loud enough to get scolded by Chen from the sofa, where the demon is gleefully dismembering digital zombies in the absence of a specific duty to perform.

"Chief Inspector Kim, the point of having a consultant that you're  _familiar_  with is to make your job less stressful.  So why are you over there wearing your teeth to nubs?"

The Chief Inspector frowns.  "Assemblyman Lee Myungbak has always been an insufferable ass, but I always read it as greasy-politician or kids-these-days.  But now I strongly suspect that he's a manipulating, murderous ass, evil and seemingly untouchable, and I'm not okay with that.  I'm not okay with being unable to protect my city from corrupt scum just because they're rich or well-connected.  And I'm not okay with this new report of an animal attack in Bukhansan, when I know what's causing it and yet am powerless to stop it.  What the fuck am I supposed to do about this, Chen?"  Minseok sighs into his palms, fingers covering his closed eyes.

Minseok's suppressed frustration has been rising to the surface as he spells out his impotence for his familiar, and with his eyes shut he jumps as hands land on his shoulders.  He swallows his yelp, eyes flying open and palms bracing on his desk, but then his eyes fall shut and Minseok sighs again, in relief this time, as the demon's hands knead away at his knotted shoulders.

"Relax, Minseokkie.  I will take care of this for you--it's literally my job.  Please don't break your pretty teeth," Chen murmurs, sending soothing vibes down the link.  "We just need to visit Japan really quick, so I can get my stuff."

Minseok's eyes open again, and he cranes his neck to look up at his familiar.  "You have stuff in Japan?"

Chen nods.  "This isn't the first time I've been tasked with killing my own kind.  It's easier with the right equipment, and that equipment is a bit hard to come by, so I've learned to stash it somewhere that's unlikely to be disturbed, so that I can go pick it up next time I'm summoned if I need it.  Otherwise it just ends up in someone's attic or whatever, the descendent of whatever human had me use it last will pawn it off or something and then I'll have to coax my new human to have a new set made, and it's a huge hassle.  I've managed to stash a few sets around the world, because I never know where I'll get summoned next, and the closest set to us is in Japan."  The demon's voice is calm and rational and his hands continue to tease knots from the human's shoulders.

Minseok blinks owlishly up at his always-surprising familiar.  Then he straightens up, pulling up the airline portal on his computer.  "Okay then," he says.  "We'll go to Japan--er, I don't suppose you have a passport anywhere?"

"Nope, but cats don't need passports."  Resignation filters down the link.  "I don't love riding in a tiny box in a noisy plane, but sinners must suffer, after all."

Minseok tilts his head back.  "I assume you're just gonna charm your way out of the required quarantine period for imported animals?"

Chen grins.  "Charm, escape, whatever."

Minseok snorts.  "Okay then, one ticket to Japan for a law-abiding human, and one live-cargo shipment for a devious feline," he narrates as he fills in the required boxes of the flight search engine.  "Which airport?"

"Well, my stuff is hidden on the northwest flank of Fujisan, so, wherever the closest one to that is," Chen reasons.

"Tokyo it is," Minseok declares, then scrolls through the results.  "Looks like we can be hiking within twenty-four hours, depending on how quick you are about breaking out of quarantine."

"Quick as a cat," Chen promises.

 

Actually, thanks to his familiar's clever planning, he never even makes it to the quarantine facility.  Instead, Minseok gets himself a cup of coffee at the airport food court--not really fucking good coffee, but decent, the flavor likely enhanced by the fact that it's only six in the morning--and settles down to wait.  He scrolls around on his phone, smiling as he reads the link Detective Byun sent him, a glowing e-zine review of the newest act at his uncle's club, complete with a picture of a glamour-goth Taozi mid-flip.

He's there for about twenty minutes or so before Chen wanders up, wearing the red flannel pants and white t-shirt he'd used to line the bottom of his cat carrier.  He's also wearing a pair of sandals purchased with the folded yen bills that had been tucked into the pants pocket for just that reason, and he's happily stabbing a ball of takoyaki with a wooden stick, lifting it from the rectangular paper bowl into his grinning mouth.

"The sandals were cheap, so I got us a snack," Chen explains as he sits down beside his human.  He stabs another takoyaki, blows on it a little, then holds it to Minseok's lips.  "It's hot," he warns.

Minseok accepts the offering gingerly.  It is hot, but it's also chewy and delicious.  He smiles his appreciation at his familiar as he chews happily.  When the food is gone, they go to pick up their luggage and their rental car, Chen scooting the passenger seat way back so he can change on the way into more hiking-appropriate clothing, complete with a slit in the seat of the trousers for the furry black tail that manifests whenever the two are safely away from other human eyes.  

The drive to Mount Fuji takes several hours, during which Minseok is treated to a musical world tour featuring Chen's lovely voice, Minseok having connected the streaming music app on the demon's phone to the car's stereo.  It's truly impressive how well the demon can sing, and in so many languages.  Minseok recognizes English, Mandarin, French, Japanese, something like Spanish or Italian, and there are at least a dozen others that sound vaguely familiar and several more that he's fairly sure he's not heard before.

"Do you actually know all these languages, or did you just learn the songs?" Minseok asks during a lull when Chen is searching for his next song. 

"I know more languages than you're probably aware even exist, my little mayfly," the demon answers.  

Minseok lifts his brows but still keeps his eyes on the road.  "Handy," he acknowledges.

There is a downside to this private concert, though--to keep that golden throat in working condition, Chen drinks almost all of the water meant for their hike.  And much to Minseok's dismay, the demon then fills the disposable plastic bottles back up once the water has passed through his system.

"Are you seriously peeing in a bottle while you're sitting right fucking next to me?" Minseok yelps when he identifies the source of the unusual sound.  "I would have stopped somewhere if you'd asked like a civilized creature!"

Chen only laughs.  "Stopping takes time, and I want to get there quickly.  Besides, this is hardly the closest my piss has been to you.  Just keep your eyes on the road, my squeamish little human."

And then, of course, Minseok has to drive a car with plastic bottles of demon piss occupying several of the cup holders, to his extremely vocal disgust and Chen's extremely sadistic delight.

Minseok has never been so glad to reach a destination as he is when they finally arrive at the minshuku inn that they'll be staying at.  He goes to check them in, informing the demon that there had better be no piss in the car or in the demon's bladder when he returns.

Luggage transferred to their room and fresh water supply replenished, Minseok raises a brow at the demon.  "Where to now?  Do you have a map or something?"

"Into the Sea of Trees," Chen directs.  "And don't worry--I know where it is.  I mean, it's possible someone found it, but it's unlikely given the location."

Minseok drives them to a parking area at the edge of Aokigahara, then glares at Chen until he shoulders the heavy hiking pack.  Minseok carries one as well, but his is packed much lighter, letting Mr. Superhuman Strength literally carry his weight.

Chen sets off along the trail, only to come up short at a big wooden sign.  He looks confused, then he starts to laugh.  "Wh-Why is there a sign telling people not to kill themselves?" he asks.

Minseok raises a brow.  "Did you not realize you'd hidden your stuff in the haunted suicide forest?"

"Haunted, yes.  But by the spirits of the elderly that were routinely left to die here.  I haven't been here in two hundred years--why is it the suicide forest now?"

Minseok shrugs.  "I don't know.  But it's famous as a place where people come to die."

Chen shakes his head.  "Humans," he mutters.  "Well, at least its creepy reputation is intact, so hopefully, so is my stuff."

He strides off into the forest, led by some internal Demon Positioning System.  Minseok follows, once again questioning his own sanity if he's calmly tagging along with his familiar as if following a demon into a haunted forest is his idea of a refreshing day hike.  But follow he does, hoping Chen really does know where the fuck he's going, and then how to get back before sundown.  Minseok wouldn't call himself the overly superstitious type, but he's had his fair share of sleep paralysis nightmares, ghosts in the corner and everything, so he'd rather not be in a creepy forest in the dark if he can avoid it.

He suddenly snorts in amusement, and Chen turns over his shoulder to see what his human is reacting to.  "Nothing," Minseok admits.  "Just thinking of Taozi."  If the imp was concerned about ghosts in the shower with him, he'd be clinging to someone's head with all four clawed kitty feet if he ended up someplace like this.

Chen laughs, the sound strangely deadened by the dense forest.  "Oh yeah, he'd fucking  _hate_  this place," the incubus agrees.  

"Is the forest actually haunted?" Minseok asks, even though he's pretty sure he doesn't want to know the answer.  "I mean, are ghosts actually real?"

Chen shrugs, continuing to move through the forest ahead of him.  "I can't say what's real or not.  But I will say that in the five millennia of my existence, I've never seen one.  There are demons which feed on fear, though.  Maybe that's where the idea came from."

"Let's hope Taozi never meets one, then."

Another shrug.  "He probably already has.  Demons can't really feed well off of each other.  It's sort of like not being able to tickle yourself I guess.  Most demons can exist indefinitely in the abyss without feeding, but feeding is fun.  That's why demons answer when fools summon them, to get the chance to feed regularly in return for a few paltry demands."

"Fools, feeding, and paltry demands make the human world go round," Minseok gripes, but then he has to save his breath for climbing because the mountainside is getting steeper, and Chen isn't using the relatively-easy trails.

Minseok follows his demon through the thick forest for several hours, trying not to be jealous of the creature's stamina and strength (or the counterbalance of that agile tail).  Minseok is in pretty good shape, determined to always pass his yearly fitness qualification with excessively flying colors, but he's only human, after all.  Chen is doing what he can to make it easier for his puny human by breaking trail and even letting Minseok hold on to the frame of the demon's hiking pack to tow him up the steeper sections.  Minseok doesn't complain, just does his best to keep up and keep quiet.

It's strange to break the silence of the forest.  Haunted or not, it has some property that dampens sound, and combined with the dappled light doing its best to filter through the thick canopy of leaves, it's an eerily dream-like experience.  Even just listening to himself breathe seems strangely detached from reality.  

Finally, Chen stops.  He looks around, then walks up to a tree that looks just like every other tree in the damn forest.  Setting the pack down, he pulls out the folding shovel and sets to work, digging among the roots.  While the demon excavates, Minseok casually sits on a fallen log and pretends he isn't dying, though with the amusement filtering up the link, he knows he isn't fooling anyone.

Eventually, Minseok gives up all claims to dignity and sprawls back on the log, closing his eyes to better ignore the fact that he's lying on a dirty, mossy, dead tree.  He might have dozed off--it's really hard to tell dreams from waking in this odd place.  Either way, he's startled when Chen finally calls him, almost sounding as if one of them were under water, even though they're only a few meters apart.

"It's here, and it seems to be in good shape," Chen reports, stuffing a large cloth-wrapped bundle into his pack, handing Minseok the shovel to make room.

Minseok stands up to take the shovel and brush himself off, pretending that he's actually having some sort of effect on the amount of leafy debris stuck to his sweaty clothing.  He folds the titanium shovel and ties it to his pack, grateful that the trip down the mountainside should theoretically be easier.

 

It is, and it seems like it takes far less time before they're trudging through the parking lot (well, the demon is skipping, but he doesn't count).  And it's barely a quarter of an hour more before Minseok is blissfully soaking in their room's private open-air bath.

Until Chen splashes in beside him, flailing about deliberately to drench the human's face.

"I hate you," Minseok sighs, eyes closed against the aquatic assault but otherwise unwilling to move after nearly eight hours of hiking.

"Aww, again?" the demon asks, entirely unconvinced.

"Still," Minseok lies, knowing the demon won't be fooled.

"What if I rub your shoulders?" the demon offers.  

Minseok says nothing, but he manages to flop his body around so his bare chest is resting against the edge of the tub, giving the demon his back.

Chen chuckles, then strong hands descend onto Minseok's abused muscles.  The pack he'd been carrying had gotten lighter throughout the day as the two of them drank the water and ate the snacks it had contained, but his shoulders aren't used to carrying a load like that for so long, and they are screaming at Minseok for his foolishness.

The demon not only has the voice of an angel, his hands are heavenly, too.  Minseok can't help but moan against the tile as the demon unravels all of his tightly-wound muscles, each shuddering sound answered by Chen's quiet laughter.

"Maybe I should rub something else now," the demon suggests once Minseok's muscles are once again quiet and content.

"ChenChen, if you feed from me now, you might as well haul me back to join the ghosts in the haunted forest."

"I wasn't going to feed, you idiot.  I know when you can't take it, and I'm hardly going to risk your health," the demon protests.  "I was just going to make you come and put you to bed."

Minseok flops back around to face his familiar.  Chen is beautiful as usual, the setting sun making his wet skin glow gold, highlighting the lean muscles of his chest and arms, painting his damp cheekbones with gilt, drawing diamonds from drops of water in his hair and eyelashes.  He's smiling gently at Minseok, and the link is awash with sincerity and something that feels an awful lot like affection.

"Ugh, fine," Minseok sighs, closing his eyes against the sight so his stupid heart will stop flip-flopping around with his stomach.  It's not like he's capable of saying no to Chen, not when he's sitting there looking like sunlit sin.

Chen laughs, Minseok's true feelings betrayed by the link once again.  "Go get in bed, my little prickly marshmallow puff, and I'll be along to tuck you in."

Still grumbling about stupidly sexy demons and how unfair his entire life is, Minseok nonetheless follows his familiar's suggestion.  He's heartbeats away from sleep as soon as he lies down on the fluffy futon, but his alertness and arousal are restored when a warm, grinning demon wiggles himself on top of him.

Chen's kisses are gentle, full of heat but not of venom, and the exhausted human lets the demon dominate the entire encounter.  Minseok's familiar riles him up with kisses and caresses and sexy little sighs, then burrows beneath the sheets to put that hot little mouth to good use further south.  

Minseok encourages the demon's actions with moans and curses and fingers curved around horns, and soon he's pouring the last of his tension into his familiar's humming throat.

"Fuck, ChenChen," Minseok sighs.  "I know it's like, why you're not dead, but you're so fucking good at that."

A chuckle floats up from tbe lump licking his softening cock clean, then Chen slithers up to kiss him again, sliding that talented tongue between Minseok's lips to make sure he can taste his own spend.

"You're also super gross," Minseok murmurs around the tongue in his mouth, but his words lack heat, his orgasm leaving him soft in more ways than one.

"You're gross for liking this," Chen goads, tucking himself against the human's body.

"Super gross," Minseok repeats, right before he drifts off.

 

Getting home goes far more smoothly than someone who didn't know about the demon's persuasive abilities would probably have predicted.  The airline was thoroughly embarrassed about having temporarily misplaced Minseok's cat, and in apology, they ship Chen back to Korea for free.  The package that the demon had retrieved from the forest (and refused to let Minseok see) makes it through customs in Minseok's luggage just fine, much to his astonishment when they get it back to the apartment and he sees what exactly it is.

He blinks down at the dirty, greasy-looking fabric the demon has spread open on his nice clean white tile kitchen floor.  There are several layers, all greasy, but getting cleaner and cleaner as they go, and nestled in the center is a pair of wooden sheaths, both slightly curved, one longer than the other, a small drawstring greasy fabric bag, and, unwrapped from its own greasy fabric package, a suit of what appears to be samurai-style armor, complete with a horned helmet resembling a laughing demon's face.

Chen busies himself pulling open the wooden sheaths, inspecting the blades, wiping them down with the mineral oil he'd made Minseok stop to get on the way home from the airport, and fiddling with various metal and wooden pieces he pulls from the drawstring bag.

Minseok just stares at the demon at work, once again floored by the demon's ability to surprise him.  He's not sure what he thought they were retrieving from the woods, but a set of ancient armor and some-assembly-required swords certainly wasn't it.

"Are you really going to hunt a demon down in the woods of Bukhansan while playing dress-up as a demonic samurai?" Minseok finally asks, even though it's quite clear to him that's what his familiar is preparing to do.

Chen snorts down at the blade across his knees, dark metal with a wavy transition to a brighter edge, his polishing cloth revealing shining characters--Kanji? Hanzi? Hanja?--running down the length of the blade.  "You sound like there weren't plenty of demonic samurai before.  What better loyal retainer than one you've summoned and bound to your will, one without morals or remorse except the code their master holds them to?  One you can even order to end their earthly existence when they dishonor themselves in your eyes?  Why do you think the "oni" imagery is so popular for masked helmets?" the demon asks, as if he's pointing out obvious things to a slow student.  "I'm probably one of the few incubi that ever swung a katana, though," he adds.  "Usually we--the female versions, anyway--ended up as geisha in that place and time."

Minseok can only blink, but his demon isn't done breaking his poor squishy human brain quite yet.

"Besides, the armor is for you," he adds, holding the hilt-less sword out in front of him and squinting down the length of the lethal-looking blade.

"Why do I need armor?" Minseok asks, jet lag and lingering exhaustion from yesterday's hike enabling him to play the dumb-student role quite well.

Chen looks up to meet his eyes, a strange sort of twinge slinking over the link.  "Because you're an idiot, and I already know you're going to insist on coming with me."

 


	12. Pawssault & Cattery

Chief Inspector Kim Minseok has always considered himself a brave man, one who leads from the front, not one to send anyone into danger he's not willing to face himself.  But as he watches his demonic feline familiar--the one that often cackles with sparkling glee as his digital katana slashes virtual zombies into pixilated chunks on his smartphone--clean and assemble and sharpen a very  _real_  katana with which he evidently intends to slash a butcher demon into _actual_  chunks, wearing the deadly-serious demeanor of a battle-hardened, well-disciplined soldier, Minseok finds himself wishing  _he_  were the one who could transform into a cat and hide under the sofa.

Still, he voices an unwavering "yes" to the demon's question as to whether or not the human plans to accompany Chen on his deadly mission.  He hates having to rely on someone else to fight his battles for him--literally, in this case.  The least he can do--what he always does for any of his team that puts themselves in danger for him and for Seoul--is to provide as much fucking backup as possible.  

"I don't suppose you're any good with a sword?" Chen asks wryly, lifting his eyes from the dark metal blade across his knees, newly-honed edge gleaming as brightly as the silvery characters inlaid along the deadly length.

"Well, I've done a bit of Kendo," Minseok hedges.  "But I'm far from an expert."

Chen lifts one straight brow.  "Well, that's more than I'd hoped for.  You get the katana, then.  It's fucking  _sharp_ , not some bamboo practice sword, so be fucking  _careful_.  I can't just fuck you to grow your limb back if you're an idiot and lop one off."

Minseok nods, accepting the offered blade with care and reverence.  "So you're giving me a suit of armor and a katana, and then you plan to take out whatever painted that temple in blood with just a wakizashi, stark fucking naked?"  

Chen shrugs, hands busy polishing the wakizashi in question.  "I'll wear some of your modern cop body armor if it'll make you feel better.  But I'm not watching the best human I've ever had bleed out on the top of a mountain because he's too fucking stubborn to stay at home and let his familiar do his job."  The demon holds the newly-glittering blade up to the light, sighting along its edge before lovingly caressing it with a whetstone.  "This little baby is more than enough to end a big dumb brute like a lanius."

Minseok looks at the blade in his familiar's hands.  It seems well-balanced and finely made, but it's far from the most intimidating sword he's ever seen.  "If it's more than enough, why did we have to dig it out of a creepy forest?"

"Because of the inscription," Chen says, as if it should be obvious.  "It'd take much longer to find a high-quality blade and someone to inscribe it properly, when my old friends were waiting so patiently for their master to claim them again."

Minseok examines the scribed steel in his own hands more closely.  "So, the inscriptions are, what, a spell or something?  To kill demons?"

The demon snorts.  "Hardly.  The maker's name, Muramasa, is near the hilt, and the rest of it is flowery ridiculousness about honor through blood, loyalty unto death, dedication and sacrifice, so on, and so forth," Chen scoffs.  "Honestly, it could be a nursery rhyme, or even just random lines--the important thing is that the inscription is filled with pure silver."

The ancient kanji gleams up at Minseok.  "If the silver is the important part, can't we just shoot it from far away with silver bullets like modern, civilized demon-slayers?"

Chen lifts a brow.  "Oh, sure, because you have easy access to high-grade graphite, pure silver bullion, and a well-stocked machine shop--not to mention the highly-skilled people to forge such things, and reasonable explanations as to why a theoretically sane public servant in a country known for its sparing use of firearms would want such a thing."

Minseok frowns at his flippant familiar.  "Why silver, anyway?  Isn't that supposed to be for werewolves?"  His brows lift as a sudden thought slips between them.  "Wait--are you going to tell me werewolves are really just demons who turn into wolves instead of cats?"

Chen grins.  "Now you're using your clever little mind.  And I don't know why silver--it's just one of the three binders, along with iron and salt.  Tradition suggests it's because demons are summoned for wealth, war, or work, but that's probably just a fanciful explanation for a seemingly-random reality."

Minseok must be wearing a stupid expression, because the demon rolls his eyes and continues, volunteering information like the Chief Inspector hadn't needed to threaten him with holy intervention to get a few clenched words past those beautiful curly lips a scant few weeks ago.

"When a demon is summoned into a physical form, we're called into bodies made for this existence," Chen lectures, feline ears swiveled to pin the human in focus.  "Bodies which, like most creatures on this planet, are partially made of iron and salt--blood and sweat--which is enough to bind our souls on this side of the abyss until we're released.  When demons claw or bite each other--or even if your puny human teeth or nails could break our skin deeply enough--the innate iron and salt inflict wounds that take a much greater amount of feeding to accelerate the healing of, unlike, say, a wimpy lead bullet.  But _your_ favorite demon is a mere incubus, designed for seduction instead of war, which means that when I take out one of Satan's war machines, I need longer claws, and salt makes a pretty poor blade.  Hence, steel--refined iron--scribed with silver."

Chen's grin takes a sadistic twist.  "Plus the silver burns ever so cruelly when it mingles with the iron and salt already present in a bleeding wound.  It's almost like cautery--chop a lanius' claws off with a silver-traced blade, and that fucker can draw on wrath for years--that shit is never growing back."

His serifed lips draw into a serious line.  "So use that sword like you mean it, Minseokkie--use all those lovely muscles, swing for the fences, and follow the fuck through.  Cutting off its head is probably beyond your human ability, but you're fit enough to power through an ankle or a wrist--literally disarm the fucker if you can.  He who hesitates is fucking  _lost_ , my pretty little human, and while I plan to end things quickly enough that the brute doesn't have time to realize what a squishy target you are, we demons are nothing if not unpredictable so be fucking ready for anything."

Minseok mirrors his familiar's grim expression as he nods.  "When are we doing this?"

"As soon as Taozi and I can rustle up some proper demon bait," Chen answers with a grin.

Minseok tilts his head suspiciously.  "What do you mean by that?"  

Chen sets the wakizashi blade carefully aside, then relieves Minseok of the katana.  "Nothing you need to worry about, my sweet little dumpling.  It's time to feed the human and put him to bed--you're still tired from travelling, and I need you in perfect shape."

The demon is wielding those sinfully-long eyelashes as lethally as if they were the sharpened steel on the floor, and Minseok scowls, well aware that he's being played.  Of course, his stomach rumbles as if cued by the mention of feeding, making his sharp-eared demon grin as the human's body colludes in distracting the human's mind.

"Fine, feed me.  But I can put myself to bed--if I'm that tired, you can't be thinking I'm going to feed you."

Chen invades Minseok's personal space, pressing that beautiful body right up against his too-easily-seduced human.  "Ah, but I'll only take a little sip, my delicious little princeling.  Just a little snack to tide me over--you won't even notice."

Despite his talkative nature earlier, the demon dodges all further requests, pleas, and outright demands for more information, distracting the infuriated human with delicious food and drugging kisses.  Too tired and grumpy to assert himself, Minseok lets his bossy little familiar seduce him in the shower, resigned to allowing the demon to use his human's body for his own needs.  But much to Minseok's surprise, Chen tosses him on the bed face-up, then proceeds to gleefully impale himself on Minseok's cock.

Minseok moans as that tight heat sinks down around his eager cock, hands reflexively clutching the demon's narrow hips as Chen starts to roll his body against his human's.  Their link lights up with warmth, ownership, something like affection as Chen's smiling lips capture Minseok's gaping ones, stealing the human's breath with kisses as he steals his tension with pleasure.  He only edges Minseok a little, sticking to his promise to only feed judiciously from the travel-weary human, but he still makes Minseok come hard enough to send him straight to unconsciousness without passing GO, collecting 200,000 won, or interrogating slippery demonic familiars. 

Minseok's last coherent thought is that, in the future, he'll remember that the demon only  _seems_  to be more forthcoming these days.  Underneath that disarming smile still lies a sneaky little serpent, and Minseok is sure he's not going to like whatever his familiar is planning.

 

The next morning, the Chief Inspector is not woken up by a purring, coffee-bearing catboy.  He's woken up by a heavy thud, then the sound of his front door lock code being keyed in, followed by a snick as the door opens.  Which is incredibly odd, seeing as part of the lock involves a fingerprint scan, and Minseok still has all of his fingers--he even checks to be absolutely sure.  Then, there's the sound of scuffing, yelping, and shushing, and Minseok is pretty sure he's not getting any more sleep.

He sighs as he gets out of bed and pulls on a pair of jersey lounge pants, recalling that the demon had fetched his paperwork from the office for him the other day, which, again, should have involved biometric security the demon shouldn't have been able to bypass alone.  But now that he knows that the demon can change his appearance--

This line of thought is interrupted by the sound of another thud, followed by a string of curses in more languages than Minseok can identify, overlaid with frantic shushing that only serves to increase the overall noise level in the apartment.

The cursing cuts off.  "We don't have to be quiet anymore, you dolt, we want Minseokkie to wake up."

"Well, your wish has come true, boys," Minseok says, striding out to the living room to assess what the hell is going on. 

Chen and Taozi look like kids caught with a broken window and a baseball bat.  Their ears are flattened, their tails are stick-straight and puffy, and Chen is holding his foot, probably because the giant box he and Taozi seem to have been hauling into the apartment landed on it.

"Holy fuck, your pretty little human is fucking  _stacked_ ," Taozi murmurs, mouth dropping open as he stares at Minseok's shirtless chest.

Minseok crosses his muscular arms over said "stacked" chest, hoping his sleep-mussed hair isn't detracting too much from his stern appearance.  "Why the fuck are you carrying an oversized cardboard box, and what the fuck is inside it?"

"Now, before you get mad--" Chen starts, still cradling the injured limb, and Minseok uncrosses his arms to bury his face in his hands.

"Boys.  It's fucking four a.m. which is early even for me.  You've done something terrible, judging from the fact that whatever's in that box sounds an awful lot like it's fucking crying.  How many laws did you break, and how many years in jail am I going to spend?"

"We didn't exactly count them," Taozi offers before getting an elbow in the ribs that makes him double over, espresso tail lashing behind him.

Chen holds his hands up, palm out, in an absolutely futile attempt to placate his incendiary human.  His voice is soft and reasonable.  "Minseokkie, it's my contractual obligation to help you stop bad guys.  I know you like things to be all tidy and proper and legal, but some bad guys abuse and corrupt the system, so it's impossible to stop them the good-guy way."

"Chen.  Who the fuck is in the box?"  Minseok asks, voice cold, even though he's fairly sure he already knows the answer.

"If you want to stop the lanius, you need to lure it with appealing bait," Chen says.  "I told you most demons are irked at being summoned by puny humans, so what better bait than one of the puny humans that attempted to bend it to their will?"

"Except that all the humans that attempted the ceremony on the mountain were slaughtered already--you said the Assemblyman was at the warehouse, not the mountaintop."

Chen gives out an exasperated huff like a child being sent to his room.  "Okay, fine, we beat the snot out of him, tied him up, and shoved him in a box because he's a terrible shit-stain of a human being and he threatened you and it'd be poetic justice if we use him to lure the lanius so that I can kill it."

Minseok glares at the demons in his living room.  "None of what you've told me makes me want to murder both of you any less.  You're not actual cats!  You can't just drag half-dead prey to my door and think I'll be happy about it!  Especially when your 'prey' is a well-known, well-connected public official!  You guys may live for millennia or whatever, but I only have one human lifespan, and you've just fucked it right to hell."

Taozi looks fucking petrified at the human's rage, but Chen only scoffs.  "No, I've _fixed_ your little human lifespan.  This megalomaniac had been looking into you while you were looking into him.  He'd figured out enough to scare him, and he was going to crush you and your career and all your happiness, and you'd have had no legal recourse.  Now he's reduced to demonbait, thereby helping us solve the problems he caused."

"Chen!  Even if I was okay with kidnapping, torture, and probable homicide--which I very much _am not_ \--people will fucking _notice_ if a public figure suddenly goes missing!"  Minseok is either going to cry or punch a demon.  Hell, why not both?

"Calm your shapely tits, Minseokkie," Chen dismisses.  "This asshole has no family or friends that aren't also demoniac douchebags, and he wrote a lovely, heartfelt letter of resignation before we tied his hands together.  Besides, he might even survive."

"He'd  _better_  fucking survive," Minseok glowers.  "Or you'll wish  _you_  hadn't."

Chen just rolls his eyes before turning his back to his seething human, addressing a still-shocked Taozi.  "Make yourself at home while I get Minseokkie fed and dressed, then you can help us haul the bait to the car.  We'll be quick, and you'll be all cuddled up next to your own pretty little human before the noodle notices his body pillow is even missing."  This last is delivered in a teasing sing-song that makes Taozi blush and hiss at the shorter demon.

"Fuck off, it's not like that," he protests.  "We're roommates, and I didn't have any furniture.  It's cheaper to share a bed than to buy a new one, and some of us actually have to work for a living."

"It's totally like that," Chen laughs, poking Taozi's well-muscled shoulder.  "Roommates don't usually make out while playing video games--if he hasn't stuck his dick in you yet, it's only because he's infected by the foolish human notion that fucking someone that you've just met is somehow disrespectful."

"Maybe he's waiting for  _me_  to stick my dick in  _him_ ," Taozi suggests, making Chen double over with laughter.  "Fuck you, it could happen!" the Siamese screeches, totally offended at the outright dismissal.  "Your human is a total badass, but you said he lets you fuck him!  Why can't it be the same for us?"

Chen, still sprawled on the floor beside the whimpering cardboard box, gathers enough breath to sass the taller demon.  "Minseokkie lets me fuck him sometimes because he's all honorable and shit and is committed to feeding me as well as he can.  It's not like he _likes_  it or looks forward to it--he's much happier nailing my ass to the bathroom wall."

Taozi opens his mouth to retort, but Minseok is done--his familiar may have put him to bed early last night, but it's still way too fucking early to stand calmly in his living room while a corrupt public figure snivels in a cardboard box on the floor and two catty demons discuss the Chief Inspector's sex life in front of all of them.

" _Enough!_ " he bellows.  "Fucking _hell_ \--at least give the Assemblyman some water or something, and clean him up a little--even my feeble human nose can tell that he's pissed himself in there.  I'm going to go take a shower, because I need an excuse to stand with my eyes closed for a while and try to rationalize all of this criminal insanity I am suddenly aiding and abetting.  When I come out, there better be fucking good coffee and a hot breakfast for  _both_  of the humans in this room, or we're all going to find out exactly how silver-etched steel cauterizes bleeding demonflesh."

Taozi looks like he's about to be the second one to piss himself that morning, but Chen just grins as Minseok turns on his heel and stomps back to his room.  Their link is glowing with the demon's smugness, and Minseok tries to slap it away with his own temper to little avail.  For some reason, Chen enjoys riling his pretty little human up, more so with an impressionable audience.

Minseok scowls as he scrubs, ruing his familiar's ability to play him so easily, nevermind that manipulating humans is literally a survival skill for the fiend--if he's lived millenia, he's understandably really fucking good at it.  The Chief Inspector still feels that he should be above such petty tricks as allowing himself to be distracted from the fact that there's a torture victim in his living room, but at this point, what's done is done.  All he can do at this point is damage control, in the hopes that his eventual jail sentence will be short enough to allow him to possibly spend a few of his golden years out in the light of day.

When he emerges from his steamy self-reflection, the Assemblyman has been hauled out of the cardboard box and tied to one of Minseok's kitchen chairs instead.  Taozi is wincing while he gingerly applies an ice pack alternately against the man's swollen face, black eye, and split lip, while Chen is having what looks to be way too much fun spraying the crotch of the Assemblyman's silk pajama pants with laundry refresher and lewdly blotting at the stain with a rag.

Minseok rolls his eyes but says nothing, seating himself at the other end of the kitchen table and taking a long swallow of the fucking good coffee waiting for him there.  There's a cup on the Assemblyman's end of the table, too, and two steaming plates of scrambled eggs and sausage--not typical Korean breakfast fare, but Minseok has given up questioning his multi-lingual familiar's multi-cultural ways, and his arguments of "eggs have lots of protein, Minseokkie, and you need it" aren't wrong.

He's taken three bites of the buttery, fluffy protein-laden food before he realizes he's the only one eating.  He rolls his eyes again.  "Are you going to untie at least one of our dear Assemblyman's hands and un-gag him so the poor man can feed himself, or are you planning to play nursemaid after you're done groping his crotch?" Minseok asks his familiar.

Chen rolls his eyes right back.  "I'm going to play nursemaid, because while he may look like a tear-stained middle-aged man to  _you_ , he's still fucking dangerous and can't be trusted.  If you insist that he eats, he'll eat, but he's not getting his hands on any sort of weaponizable objects."

"Fine, but don't scald his mouth or hurt him further--he's already damaged enough."  Minseok finishes his meal quickly, literally washing his hands of the affair before returning to his room, wondering what a person wears under ancient, somehow demon-resistant samurai armor.

"Something comfortable with padded shoulders and hips," Chen suggests, making Minseok jump until he realizes he must have been broadcasting his indecision down their link.  "The armor's pretty heavy, and the plates can pinch if the fabric underneath isn't thick enough."

The demon rummages in Minseok's dresser, coming up with a periwinkle sweatsuit, holding it out to the frowning human.  

"I'm gonna roast to death in that," he complains, but he still pulls the thick fleecy fabric over his head.

"It's chilly on the mountain this early in the day, and it's better to sweat than be sliced," Chen retorts, pulling Minseok's emergency sewing kit out and quickly stitching a pair of thick socks to the scowling human's shoulder seams and a second pair to the sides of the shirt, right over Minseok's hipbones.  "Quit twitching--you can just clip the threads later and everything will be as good as new."

Thus ridiculously clad, Minseok offers Chen the stab vest his mother had given him when he'd graduated from the academy.  The demon smiles at him, something like indulgent fondness leaking down the link, as if Minseok were a puppy who'd adorably retrieved the wrong stick.

"I'll wear that if you'll feel better, Minseokkie," the demon coos, eyes curved into crescents.

Minseok might be easily manipulated by a fiend, but he's not illiterate to subtext.  "But it won't actually do any good, will it?" The human finishes the demon's truncated sentence.

"Nope," Chen confirms.  "The claws of a lanius are not only fucking  _sharp_  but they're swung by something that's easily ten times stronger than your average knife-wielding punk.  My cat-like reflexes will keep me safer than your fancy high-tech fabric."

Minseok sighs.  "So how is ancient armor supposed to protect _me_?"

"Ancient armor was designed to stop swords swung by burly men highly-trained in the precision application of slicing force.  It won't make you invulnerable, of course, but hopefully it'll be enough to diffuse a lethal blow into one that'll just make you _wish_  you were dead."

Minseok feels his face drain of blood.  He's brave, sure, but when he took his oath to protect and serve, nothing about fiendishly-strong, lethally-armed demons was mentioned.  This whole thing is  _not_  what he signed up for, and he's starting to feel like kicking the battered Assemblyman a few times himself for making the Chief Inspector clean up his mess.

But Chen's holding his human's face, dark eyebrows kipped up in the middle of his forehead.  "Hey, Minseokkie, breathe.  You'll be fine.  While a lanius is strong, it's not particularly smart.  Use your head first, my clever little human--listen to your familiar, do as I say, and the beast won't even come near you.  The armor is your last line of defense--that fucking meat cleaver on legs literally has to get through me first, and I will _not_ fail you."

Minseok shoves his fear back into the hole from whence it slithered, replacing it with a shield of righteous anger.  "You fucking better not fail me," he growls.  "After ordering that expensive machine, I'm not about to let Taozi take my place in our future video-game-and-make-out sessions."

Chen makes a grimace of disgust.  "Don't be gross.  You're the only one I've ever in my entire existence wanted to play video games and make out with, and you're not getting off the hook."

Minseok chuckles.  "Video games have only existed for like, forty-five years or something," he points out as Chen leads him back to the living room.

"Whatever--we've had non-video games since the dawn of time--perhaps you've heard of a little game called weiqi?  I think your people call it baduk."

Minseok cracks a little smile.  "You've been making out with humans over a Go board since the dawn of time?"

Chen scowls.  "No, you moron!  I've never made out with anyone but you--at least, not without the venom.  I've never even _wanted_  to.  That's why you're my favorite human--after so long, I thought nothing in this world could surprise me, but you always do."

Minseok coos exaggeratedly.  "Aww, that was almost sweet!"

"Oh, fuck your stupid face.  Shut up and help us get the bait into the car."

Now it's Minseok's turn to pull a disgusted face as he surveys the bait in question, writhing on the chair in front of a frowning Taozi, spoonful of scrambled eggs hovering between them.  The evidently-uncooperative Assemblyman is wearing most of the eggs and what looks like all of the coffee, if the brown stain spreading down his silk pajama top is any indication.

"Only if we wrap him in some towels first--I don't want eggs or piss all over the upholstery."

 

"You're never going to get away with this."

Chen laughs, twisting around in the passenger seat so he can eyeball the man lying across the backseat of Minseok's car.  "I'll take 'Cliche Movie Quotes' for 200, Alex," Chen mocks, then frowns when his apparent wit is met with silently-raised brows.  "Oh, come on," he whines, leaning into his human.  "You must have seen 'Jeopardy' before."  When Minseok just raises his other brow, Chen continues to prod.  "American game show?  Really popular?  Alex Trebec?"

"ChenChen, you've seen my DVR.  All I watch are technically-inaccurate detective shows."

Chen gapes at him.  "You live in South Korea, home of the best internet known to humankind," he complains.  "You could watch practically  _anything_  you want, from almost anywhere in the world."

"And yet, I spend almost every waking hour watching the real-time law-enforcement feeds instead," Minseok reminds him.  "Why do you think I'm like a year behind on that cop drama?"

"Because you're lame and you're a willing slave to your job?"  Chen suggests.

"Well, maybe if people would stop doing their best to fuck up my city for two fucking minutes in a row, I could try to catch up on pop cultural references."  Minseok glares at the prone figure in his rearview mirror.

"You'll have plenty of time to slack off when you're  _in jail_ ," the Assemblyman comments acerbically from the backseat.  "My lawyers are going to eat you alive."

"They probably will," Minseok admits, holding the man's gaze.  "But my first duty is to the innocent citizens of Seoul.  If Chen thinks we need you to lure this butcher demon, so be it--I'll turn myself in once the threat has been eliminated."

This statement draws reactions from both other occupants of the car, who basically simultaneously call the Chief Inspector an idiot.  Then Minseok has to take a hand off the steering wheel to press his irate familiar back into his seat, as he attempts to claw the Assemblyman's face for daring to insult his human (even though he had just done the exact same thing).

"Calm down, both of you," Minseok admonishes.  "I'm not looking forward to it or anything.  I just don't see that I'm avoiding it without killing anyone, and I'm not willing to do that."

"I am," Chen volunteers, but Minseok shushes him.

"Really, ChenChen--it'll be fine.  I'll like, set you free or something first," he promises.  "There's no need for you to suffer with me."

The Assemblyman laughs as Chen gives his human an outraged gape.  "I don't  _want_  to be set free, even if that were possible," he protests.  "I'm not letting you go to jail.  If you won't let me kill him, then I'll smuggle you to a country without extradition laws--with or without your cooperation."

Minseok's counter-command is cut off by more laughter from the backseat, making the Chief Inspector wish he'd let the demons gag the abrasive man again after the disastrous feeding attempt.  

"Such  _devotion_  from a demon," the vile man pronounces.  "Is this what a demon's cock up one's ass buys?  I still prefer to rule my servants with fear, like a  _man_ , but--"

The Assemblyman's words are cut off by Chen's fingers around his throat.  Somehow he'd slipped out of his seatbelt and into the backseat between one breath and the next, and the car rocks as Minseok flips the hazard lights on and pulls over to the side of the road to properly deal with the altercation in the back.

"Being a man has nothing to do with sex," Chen informs the gasping man as the car slows.  "It has to do with being strong and brave, something you'd know nothing about, you fucking coward!  Those little girls I pulled out of that cave had more strength and bravery than you, so I think I'll go ahead and confiscate your testicles now since you're clearly not actually using them."  The demon's claws  _snik_  out from his fingertips, but Minseok has the parking brake on and his own fingers around the demon's wrist.

"Chen!  Please don't make him bleed out in the car."  The Chief Inspector has no illusions about appealing to his familiar's humanity, but maybe he can appeal to his willingness to humor his cleanliness-obsessed human.  "Besides, won't he make better bait when he's alive?"

Chen scowls down at his victim.  "Fine, but we're gagging him again."

"Please fucking do," Minseok agrees, beyond ready for some peace and quiet.

 

The rest of the drive to Bukhansan is much more pleasant, with Chen settling down enough to sing along to the music app on his phone that he's wirelessly connected to the car's stereo.  Minseok even joins in when a song he knows pours from the speakers, much to his familiar's evident delight.  Chen lets his human take the lead, adding emphasis and harmony and turning Minseok's enthusiastic-but-untrained performance into something record-worthy, just as he'd transformed Minseok's average-but-unexceptional life into something that, for whatever else it is, certainly could never be called "boring."

Just as in Japan, Minseok is jarred back from their musical interlude when he turns up the official-access-only road to Spirit Peak, suddenly remembering the less-than-joyful reason they'd made this drive and the less-than-friendly person bound and gagged in his backseat.  He sighs, letting his exhale blow his unruly bangs away from his suddenly-sweaty forehead.

Chen reaches over to pat his human's thigh.  "It'll all be over soon, Minseokkie," he assures the Chief Inspector.  "Then you can take me home and we'll shower and then you can have a nap--the tracking site said our game system should arrive today, and then we can just kill digital monsters in the comfort of our underpants."

That does sound entirely preferable to killing real ones in heavy ancient armor.  "Don't forget the making out," Minseok adds, giving his familiar a soft smile as he sets the parking brake.

"I'd never forget that," Chen assures him, and then as if to prove it, he pulls the human in for a deep, promising kiss.  

This surprisingly-tender moment is interrupted by thrashing and grunting from the backseat, but Minseok has had enough of the acidic Assemblyman.  

"Oh, fuck off--I know, I know, 'jail' and 'unmanly' and whatever, but I'm about to face down a butcher demon that  _you_  are at least partially responsible for unleashing on the world, so shut up and let a man live in a fantasy for a moment."

He ignores the additional wordless protests from the backseat as Chen claims his lips again, grinning into the venom-less kiss.  Not that the incubus needs the venom to rile his human up--Minseok's body has been well-conditioned at this point that when the demon is involved, things are going to get intense.  He's grateful for the loose fit of the sweatpants, and even whines a little when Chen finally pulls away.

"Come on, Minseokkie, walk it off," his familiar teases.  "We have work to do, then these lips are all yours."

"Fine," Minseok sighs, stuffing his reluctance and getting out of the car. 

He allows the demon to dress him in the fucking _heavy_  ancient armor that he'd evidently spent the night cleaning up as well, since it now gleams in the early-morning light as it's strapped to Minseok's torso.  When Chen steps back, the Chief Inspector does a few experimental squats, testing his mobility in the protective device.  He's grateful for the extra padding provided by the mistreated socks, but is overall surprised at how mobile he still feels.  It must have something to do with the clever lamellar construction, the overlapping metal plates allowing the body to flex fairly naturally, coupled with the fact that some of the armor's weight rests on his well-padded hips instead of merely hanging from his shoulders, much like the hiking packs they'd carried on their trip to retrieve the armor in the first place. 

In addition to protecting his torso, flexible armored flaps cover his upper arms, and a segmented sort of skirt hangs down over Minseok's hips, ass, and groin, reaching almost to his knees yet allowing his legs to move freely.  He straightens up with a bit more confidence than he'd had when he'd stepped out of the car--if a man is going to face down a butcher demon, let him at least have metal plates protecting his junk.

When he nods his approval to his familiar, Chen steps forward again with the forearm and shin protectors, strapping them in place before topping everything off with the demon-faced helmet, slipping it over the human's head and adjusting it until Minseok can see clearly from the laughing metal eyes.

"The helmet should keep your skull intact, but the beast could still knock you the fuck out, so keep that sword up," Chen lectures.  "If you're unconscious, you're as good as dead, and if you died you'd be much less fun to fuck."

Minseok's grimace is hidden behind the silvered steel mask but his disgust must be evident across the link, because Chen's face crinkles with laughter.  "That's right, my finicky little princeling--you better stay alive to prevent your corpse from being violated by an insatiable incubus."

"No fucking problem," Minseok snaps, as if he needed any additional motivation not to let a demon kill him.  "What are we doing with the bait?"

"Making him bleed, and letting him run," Chen says, hauling the bound man from the backseat.  Before Minseok can protest, he slices the bonds with a demonic claw, then runs that same claw down the back of the man's left arm, making the Assemblyman scream around the gag still in his mouth.  Chen cuts the gag off next, then shoves the pajama-clad man up the path toward the top of the mountain.

"Run quickly, little bunny," the demon sings.  "Don't let the lanius catch you before I catch the lanius!"

The bleeding Assemblyman staggers up the path, followed by an equally-staggering Minseok (the armor is fucking  _heavy_  after all).  It wouldn't be so bad over a flat, even surface, but up the irregular side of a mountain, Minseok can only look forward to another of the demon's skilled massages--and the "happy ending" to follow.  He holds the katana carefully as he climbs, wanting it ready at the first sign of a non-Chen demon, grateful for his familiar's mocking marching song so he knows the noises behind him are made by friend, not foe.

"Oh, by the way, Minseokkie--I'm letting all the glamor go so I can focus all my energy on finding and killing this brutal fucker.  So right now I look a little--different--to what you're used to.  No, don't turn around--just keep going.  You'll still be able to tell me from the lanius if you need to--I'll be the cute one."

Minseok only barely resists turning to have a look at his familiar's evidently altered appearance.  "I've seen your horns and pointy tail before," he reminds the incubus.

"Those are the same," he affirms.  "But the rest of me isn't.  Don't worry about it, though--just watch out for something big and ugly with fingers like knives, and try to stay the fuck back when it shows up."

Minseok fervently hopes he doesn't freeze like a frightened fucking rabbit when the lanius shows up, not excited to join the soggy-pants club of which the Assemblyman is the founding member.  Staying the fuck back shouldn't be a problem.

They walk for an hour, the Assemblyman's staggering fear giving way to bitter complaints as the sun rises higher without any sign of the lanius.  

"Why are we looking for it in the daytime?" he demands to know, still clutching his bloody arm.  The bleeding has mostly stopped, but it's done a brilliant job of coating the man's clothing in crimson, and even Minseok can smell the metallic tinge of the man's blood from ten paces down the path.

"Because, honorable Assemblyman," Chen explains, using his stupid-small-child voice.  "This is when human hikers like to wander around in the woods--light enough to see, cool enough not to cook.  Just keep walking and bleeding--but go ahead and keep whining, too--anything to get its attention."

The Assemblyman suddenly decides he'd rather suffer in silence.

But ultimately the man's suffering is ear-shatteringly loud, startling birds from trees and sending Minseok's heart crowding into his throat.  One minute they're all just placing one foot in front of the other, and the next minute the Assemblyman is screaming on the ground, clutching the stump where his foot used to be as the underbrush erupts around the hulking form of what must be the lanius.

At least, Minseok rather hopes it's the lanius, because the closest thing his adrenaline-filled mind can compare the apparition to is a giant bear that's been turned the fuck inside out.  And has sickles for claws.  And daggers for teeth.  And a lashing, thrashing scythe of a tail.

Staying the fuck back is definitely not a problem for the human, who barely even blinks as a black-skinned creature springs over his head, wakizashi raised to thrust down at the much larger demon.  But Minseok's eyes are dragged from the imminent combat by the thrashing, bleeding figure on the forest floor, and he suddenly realizes that the Assemblyman will bleed out right there instead of in the backseat of Minseok's car if the Chief Inspector doesn't do something fast.

Keeping the katana at the ready and his eyes on the bellowing, blustering lanius--he's a noble cop, not a stupid one, and the most basic training in staying alive is to never take your eyes off a threat--Minseok moves to the stricken Assemblyman.

"Try to stay calm, you're only making your heart pump faster," Minseok hisses, knowing that, if his own foot were suddenly missing, he'd likely be anything but calm himself.  "Take your belt off, we need a tourniquet--oh, fucking hell, do you want me to see your dick or do you want me to watch you die?"

Still glaring at Minseok as if the missing foot were personally his fault--which, Minseok supposes is probably the truth--the Assemblyman pulls the silk sash from around his waist, then attempts to wrap it around the still-gushing stump.  Minseok's eyes flick from the lanius--screaming its rage at the dancing, slashing gnat buzzing around it--and the bleeding man.  The Assemblyman's efforts to save himself are feeble and getting sloppy, and Minseok realizes that he's going to have to make a choice.

He can stay alert, keep his sword up, and protect himself, or he can save this asshole's life.

Minseok hopes he's at least trading one life for another and not just giving Father Zhang two bodies to take care of--and he hopes Detective Byun will be able to make it through his funeral without mimicking Detective Do while he's giving a succinct but heartfelt eulogy.

Sending apologies down the link, Minseok disobeys all his cop training, martial arts lessons, and screaming survival instincts, and sets the katana on the ground.

He ducks as the lanius' lethal tail whips over their heads as the beast circles to keep the harrying incubus in sight, re-wrapping the length of blood-soaked silk around the Assemblyman's ankle, grabbing a sturdy stick to shove through the binding and twisting the fuck out of it despite the man's broken screams.  

"Fucking hold this," he commands, moving the semi-conscious man's hand to press against the taut stick, just in time for an ominous shadow to fall over them both.

Minseok grabs for the sword and rolls to the side but the armor slows him down and he's not quick enough to escape the sweeping blow that sends him flying.  He sees stars as his side erupts in a barely-comprehensible searing pain--Minseok's broken a rib before, sparring at the gym, but he's fairly sure he's just felt all of them shatter at once.  He'd scream, but all the air whuffs out of his lungs as he impacts the sturdy trunk of a knobby pine tree, and now both of his sides are on fucking fire.  

He crumples to the ground, sword forgotten in the dirt beside him, retching up scrambled eggs and coffee as an offering to the forest floor.  If he had any air in his lungs, he'd give in to hysterical laughter--what a fucking way to die.

Except he doesn't die, because Chen is there--or at least, he assumes it's Chen.  It's definitely some sort of demon, with jet black skin, a sinuous spade-tipped tail, and curving black horns, though there's something wrong with its back, like it's hunched over or has too many muscles or something.  But it must be Chen, because it's holding the silver-inscribed wakizashi, using it to slash at the claws reaching for the heaving human, sending several of them flying into the underbrush like gory boomerangs.

But the lanius still has all its claws on the other hand, and just as Chen scoops up the abandoned katana, the butcher demon scoops up Chen.

Minseok's vision is blurred with retching-induced tears, but he sees well enough for what happens next to be burned into his retinas forever:  The lanius lifts Chen high, closing those wicked claws around and then fucking  _through_  the body of the incubus.  Chen screams as his lower half tumbles into the dirt beside the horrified human, but he still manages to bring both swords to bear on his assailant's thick neck, lopping the beast's head clean off as neatly as if with a pair of scissors.

The lanius drops like a sack of stones, out-flung limb sending Chen's upper body to lodge against a boulder.  Chen struggles to lift his head, and Minseok can feel his familiar's panicked concern for the human sear down the link.

"I'm right here," Minseok coughs, crawling toward that hideous, beautiful face.  It's twisted with agony and blacker than midnight, but it's still achingly familiar--still Chen's chiseled cheekbones, Chen's serifed lips, Chen's piercing, pain-glazed eyes.

"M'seok," Chen wheezes, his tortured face blurring behind the veil of Minseok's tears.  "M'sorry."

"No, Chenny," Minseok sobs, clasping a limp hand to his chest and absolutely  _not_  looking at the trail of viscera emerging from the carnage below that narrow, fragile waist.

"Th' books," Chen rasps out on a whisper, not even flinching when Minseok's tears land on ebony skin. 

The human swallows his sobs and leans closer, desperate to hear his fading familiar.  

"Junmyeon's... books," come the labored words.  "Call me... the link--"  The demon coughs, torso shuddering grotesquely against the dirt.  "My soul... knows yours... Call--"

And then those brilliant black holes, those glittering singularities, those beautiful onyx eyes go dull as the familiar's ruined flesh falls still.

 

 

 


	13. Commeowted Sintence

It smells like rain.

Even so, the evening sun is warm on Minseok's bare back as he stands inside the wide, silvery-gray circle he's painstakingly painted onto a broad, flat rocky face near the top of Spirit Peak, using a mixture of what the Chief Inspector now knows to be powdered iron, powdered silver, and saltwater.  The sun's rays are punching holes through the approaching thunderheads and he can see lightning jumping from cloud to cloud in the distance, but Minseok only needs the weather to hold out for just a little longer.

It's been an arduous and agonizing ordeal, but soon it will be over, one way or another.

Minseok cannot fucking wait.

He'd woken up late this morning, having managed to sleep with the help of more painkillers than were probably healthy, but he wanted to be able to offer his incubus at least a little sustenance upon his return to the mortal realm.  In the same spirit, he'd choked down a hearty breakfast and packed a stack of triangle kimbap along with a thermos of coffee, which provided him with needed caffeine even as it added to his foul mood, because his coffee is nowhere near as good as his absent familiar's.

The fucking car hadn't helped, either, the infotainment console chirping in disapproval at him as he'd started the engine.   _Pair not found_ , the glowing words had informed him, and it took him far too long to realize it was merely looking for Chen's phone rather than the incubus himself.

"Shut the fuck up," he'd snarled at the machine.  "I'm going to find him.  I'm going to find him right fucking _now_."

But it had taken him half the day to get up the damn mountain, leaning heavily on the sturdy handle of the whisk broom he'd brought with him to prepare the rock face.  Why he'd decided he needed to drag his broken body back up here, Minseok can't really explain, except that he knows that a demon has been successfully summoned to the world from this peak at least once before, and this mountain is also where he lost the creature that carried a chunk of a human's soul with him back to the abyss.

Therefore, this mountain is where Minseok will reclaim what's his.

So he'd ignored the pain, had focused on counting his steps and his breath, right then left, in then out, and had hauled his sorry ass up the path along with the necessary supplies.  When he'd found a spot he'd deemed suitable, it had taken most of the remaining daylight to sweep clean a large enough area, then lay out the circle with chalk, making sure it was as close to perfect as he could get it before carefully sealing the boundary with a thick line of the metallic paint. 

It would have been much faster for a healthy man, of course, but Minseok can only move slowly, each breath entering his lungs only with great effort and leaving on a pained hiss.  Bending, stretching, hell, merely fucking  _existing_  is burning agony, but it's only pain.  It won't stand in his way.  Nothing will. 

And it will all be worth it once he has what he's come for.

He's standing over the point where the summoner is supposed to place the sacrifice, the offering, the lure to get the desired demon's attention, and while he'd initially considered using the newly-delivered video game console or one of Chen's fiendish sex toys, he'd ultimately decided that, if he wants  _his_  demon's attention, the best possible temptation is himself--naked, prepped, and lubed.

He _is_ fucking scrumptious, after all.

Of course, the summoner isn't supposed to actually be  _in_  the circle, seeing as the point of the bounding geometry is to protect the summoner from what they've called from the abyss should the creature prove intractable.  But Minseok's creature, while difficult, isn't dangerous to him, and if he fucks up and gets one that is, it at least won't be able to escape after it kills him and gallivant all over the national park like the last one had.

There's absolutely nothing over the point where the summoner is supposed to place the binding agent--no cats, male or otherwise, no crows, bats, dogs, wolves, or any of the other suggested creatures.  He just wants  _Chen_ , in whatever form he can get him, and he refuses to leave this thrice-damned mountain without the creature that, less than a month ago, he'd have paid good money to be rid of.

Irony is fucking  _cruel_.

So are the razor-sharp pains that shred his battered ribcage every time he takes a breath--but that's fucking  _nothing_  compared to the screaming ache in the center of his chest.

Pain has been Minseok's constant companion for the last sixty-odd hours, ever since he'd watched in guilt and horror as the lifeless body of his previous constant companion had crumbled to dust and slipped through his fingers to drift away on the gentle morning breeze, along with Minseok's heart.

The only thing left behind to animate his damaged flesh had been duty, and Minseok had performed his even though he'd wanted to do anything but.

But Minseok is a good cop, a stalwart soldier, an upstanding and honorable public servant.  So he had  _not_  broken down and sobbed into the dirt--he had set his jaw, sucked it up, sheathed both surprisingly-bloodless blades in the scabbards attached to the back of the armor that should have been worn by a badass demon instead of a stubborn, stupid human.  Then, he'd somehow managed to get himself, Assemblyman Lee, and even the Assemblyman's severed foot back down the mountain.

It had taken hours, and every fucking step had been absolute agony, but he'd done it.  He'd done it even though the man in his arms had alternated between screaming at him for dragging him out of bed and making him lose his foot, and fucking  _laughing_  at Minseok's pain.  The hateful man had laughed when Minseok hissed in agony as he'd shouldered the Assemblyman's weight, he'd exhorted his bearer to go faster because if the foot was unable to be reattached, he was going to sue Minseok for everything he has before sending him to jail, and he'd even mocked the demon's display of concern for his human, as if it had all been an elaborate sham to allow the demon to die and escape Minseok's service.

But the Assemblyman's words meant nothing compared to Chen's own.  Chen had said he didn't want to be free.  He'd said he wanted to keep Minseok forever.  And he'd told Minseok to call him, had reminded him that he had resources at his disposal.  The demon had given the human a command, the familiar had assigned his master a task, and Minseok would not fail.  That resolve had steeled his spine and sealed his lips as he'd descended the mountain, running on anger, self-censure, and adrenaline.

So the Chief Inspector had remained steady, strong, and stoic, and he didn't even drop the fucker over the edge of a cliff or accidentally lose his stupid foot or anything.  But he did allow himself to fail to remind his charge to watch his head upon entering the vehicle, enjoying the resulting smack against the doorframe before he slammed the rear door.

The Assemblyman had continued to berate, threaten, and scold the Chief Inspector the entire drive back to Seoul, but Minseok could barely hear the vitriol over the blood pounding in his ears.  Honestly, the bitter little man's constantly-spewing invectives probably kept them both alive, because in retrospect, Minseok had probably been going into shock.  How he'd shaken it off, he's still not sure, except that he hadn't had time for medical crises.  He'd had fucking  _work_  to do, a mission to complete, so as soon as he'd deposited the Assemblyman (and his foot) into a wheelchair and shoved the still-complaining man in the general direction of somebody in scrubs, he'd burned rubber to the police station and the evidence locker that contained the clues to his redemption, ignoring the fact that breathing was hell, and freed from the restriction of the armor, some of his ribs now seem to suck  _in_  when he inhales rather than expanding with the rest of his torso.

Chen is going to be absolutely livid when he sees the state his human is in.

And he  _will_  see, because Minseok is confident he hasn't suffered in vain.  He may have spent thirty hours hunched over a notepad on his knee, surrounded by Junmyeon's books and other occult paraphernalia, eating NSAIDs like candy and consuming more caffeine than solid food--and absolutely ignoring the tragically-empty cat bed he could barely see out of the corner of his pain-sanded eye--but he's pretty fucking sure he knows what to do, and that he has everything he needs.

Well,  _almost_  everything.

The books had been pretty clear on the fact that to summon a  _specific_  demon, one needed to know that demon's true name, and Minseok doesn't know Chen's. 

Grasping at straws, he'd called Taozi on Chen's phone, suffering a fresh knot of guilt when he'd unlocked the device only to be confronted with the familiar's grinning face squished against his own fondly-exasperated one, having never realized the demon had set a selfie of the two of them as his background image.   

Taozi hadn't known Chen's true name, either, informing Minseok that "DaeDae" was a nickname the imp had given the incubus because Junmyeon had only deigned to call his not-familiar "Spawn of Asmodae"--the demonic lord of lust--instead of naming him properly.

"But it shouldn't matter what you call him as long as it's a name he knows is his," the imp had assured Minseok.  "Your link should still be there a little unless he's already been summoned and bound again, which is really fucking unlikely--his curse really sucks 'cause humans don't summon us very often anymore, so he could be stuck in the abyss for centuries, always super hungry but never allowed to feed, and the queens really fucking hate him so they torture him whenever they get ahold of him.  He'll definitely want to get the fuck out of there and come back to his favorite human ever, but being flung back into the abyss like that is really painful and confusing.  You'll have to call _hard_  to get through the fog, but you have the link, so you can do it."

Minseok had (probably foolishly) declined the demon's offer of more hands-on help, determined to fix what he fucked up all by himself.  But with the imp's easy belief in his success, true name or no, Minseok is confident as he unfolds the page that holds the verbal part of the demon-summoning ritual. 

Chen's dying words were that his soul knows Minseok's, and Minseok  _will_  make that soul remember his.

Junmyeon may have been arrogant and cruel, but at least he'd also been meticulous, and he'd made many notes in the margins of his books that had been a boon to Minseok as he'd given himself a crash course in Demon Summoning for Dummies.  But the thing that had made Minseok press his lips to the yellowed paper and pledge to personally ensure Junmyeon's grave is well-maintained was the sideways lettering along the edge of the page the summoning ritual had been on, transliterating the required text from some dead, ancient language Minseok could never hope into read into Hangeul, which the grateful man has carefully transcribed from the heavy book onto an easier-to-carry single sheet of paper. 

Taking as deep a breath as he can force into his malfunctioning ribcage, Minseok reads the summoning verse from the page in his shaking hands.  He feels a little ridiculous, and he struggles to inhale enough mountain air to get each line out clearly and forcefully as the texts instruct, but he does his best to "manifest his will" through the words he pronounces but doesn't actually understand.

When he's done, nothing seems any different than it had before.  The setting sun still shines on Minseok's bare flesh, the birds still chirp happily in the pine trees, the wind still makes the nude man shiver as it rustles the branches ahead of the ominously-rolling thunder of the oncoming storm.  Minseok's not sure what he was expecting, but he presses on with the ritual despite the lack of special effects.

This is the point where he's supposed to call out the demon he's summoning, or to specify merely the type or power or even throw the doors to the abyss wide and take whatever fiend tumbles through the doorway first.  Minseok definitely just wants the one specific demon to answer his call, so he concentrates, focusing on the frayed gossamer strand that is his best chance of communicating with the soul he seeks.

The link does still seem to be there, if only just.

Minseok pours his desire down the fragile thread, calling his familiar as if the feline were merely napping in the other room, tugging the connection as he once had when he'd been testing the boundaries of the new partnership he'd found himself a reluctant participant in.

"Chen," he speaks aloud.  "My Chenny, come to your pretty little human.  I'm right here, and I command you to be here, too.  Come to me--I'll feed you so fucking well, you know I will.  Answer to the name you burned into my skin.  Just come, Chen, please--" 

He forces away desperation, tries to gather the imperious air the books recommend, scowling into the teeth of a fresh gust of rain-scented wind.  "ChenChen, get your hot little ass back over here right fucking now so your fucking scrumptious human can feed you properly!  You'd better fucking  _hurry_ , because no one's been taking care of your tasty little cupcake, and if you want more than two bites of dinner, you've got some serious making up to do."

Still nothing, and Minseok is having a hard time keeping the pain and exhaustion and fear and guilt at bay any longer.  But he's not supposed to show weakness, so he wreathes himself in anger, pours his frustration and impatience and selfishness down the frail spidersilk that trails away from the sucking wound in Minseok's chest.

" _Chen!_ " he bellows, sending fresh knives through his ribcage and startling the birds into silence.  "Your master demands your presence!  You fucking belong to  _me_ , you are only Kim Minseok's familiar, and you  _will_  answer your master's call!"

The fine hairs all over Minseok's body stand on end as lightning flashes overhead.  There's strange sort of  _pop_ , the scent of sulfur and ozone, a concussive blast of thunder, and then darkness and agony are all Minseok knows.

 

Minseok screams.

 

And then the last rays of the sun are back, along with the mocking sound that will forever be music in Minseok's ringing ears.  "Minseokkie, you're always so fucking  _cute_  when you're angry," his favorite voice crows.  "Like a grumpy little hamster, squeaking vitriol at the world."

"Chen," Minseok gasps, ribs crushed by arms of ebony steel, and the world goes black again as he sobs against his demon's bare chest--mostly because he  _really_  can't breathe and biting shards of glass are embedded into every centimeter of his poor abused ribcage.

"Minseokkie?"  Chen's tone has ditched amusement for concern, and the hold around his body slackens in favor of a hand on each of the human's bare shoulders.  "Are you alright?  How long have I been gone?"

"Chenny," the human heaves, relieved to be allowed to inhale, relieved to have his heart back.  "I'm sorry it took so long--it's been two and a half days." He drags guilty eyes up enough to see the demon's midnight face as the sun returns again--evidently having been blocked by the leathery, black membranes currently retreating behind the demon's back.

Minseok gapes at the impossible sight.  "ChenChen--your fucking  _wings_."

The demon chuckles, spade-tipped tail frolicking in the electric air around them.  "My fucking wings," he agrees.  "Almost makes dying worth it, to have my precious wings back." 

He spreads them wide before wrapping them forward around Minseok's quivering figure again, and suddenly the strange, lumpy muscles on the demon's back make perfect sense--the wings are massive, bat-like, each maybe twice as long as Chen is tall, with little hooked claws on the "knuckles" or whatever the joints are that allow the leathery skin to articulate so beautifully.

Un-glamored, Chen is stunning, all hard edges and sinful heat, jet-black skin glazed in rose gold by the setting sun, astonishing wings limned in silver by the flashes of lightning at his back, and it's with some disappointment that Minseok watches his familiar's appearance melt into the softer, paler form he's used to seeing--though the wings are still in evidence, only now seeming to sprout effortlessly from mere human-looking shoulder blades.

"You look like shit, Minseokkie," Chen comments dryly.  "Did you miss me that much in less than three days?"

"Fuck you," Minseok wheezes.  

"I'd be happy to, as soon as you name your price, oh mighty demon summoner," Chen coos.  "You know the drill--anything your little heart desires, as long as you agree to feed me."

Minseok grins for the first time in days, because he's been thinking about this part, and for once, he thinks he might be able to out-deal the devil.

"Will it be wealth, power, or fame this time, or are we going with 'stopping bad guys' again, Mister Chief Inspector?"  Chen grins back.

"Nope--this time I'll agree to feed you as long as you love me," Minseok states with confidence, if a little strained due to his continued difficulty breathing.

Chen cocks his head.  "As long as I what?"

"Love me," Minseok repeats.  "Just--love me.  Sincerely, completely, eternally."

The demon stifles a laugh.  "So be it," he intones.  "Now break the circle unless you want to be on your back over granite."

Minseok steps back out of the embrace of Chen's wings as the first tentative raindrops begin to fall, scuffing the circle with his bare heel as he goes.  "There's a blanket--"

Chen moves with him, brows lifting as the next flash of lightning fully illuminates the spectacular bruising that spangles the human's torso.  "You don't need a blanket, Minseokkie--you need a fucking hospital bed."

Minseok huffs with impatience as he tugs his demon toward the makeshift pallet.  "So hurry up and let's fuck, and then you can take me there and yell at me."

"Deal," the demon says, scooping a wincing Minseok up and jumping--floating--flying? toward the waiting blanket, incredible wings unfurled against the coming night.

The demon is already well on the way to hard as he carefully deposits the human on the more-forgiving surface of the doubled-over fleece, but Minseok, adrenaline abandoning him now that his goal has been accomplished, can only concentrate on pulling his next breath into his reluctant ribcage.

"The fuck is wrong with you?" Chen berates his human even as he leans in for a tingling kiss, letting the venom help as he strokes Minseok's disinterested dick into a more cooperative state.  "Climbing up mountains, running around in the woods in this condition--when was the last time you slept?  Or ate?  Honestly, Minseokkie--you summoned me again so soon because you're too fucking stupid to survive for long without me, aren't you?"

Minseok rolls his eyes.  "I made myself sleep eight hours last night so I'd have some energy to give you, and I've eaten well today, thank you very much.  I even saved some kimbap for when you're done with me--I'm already prepped and everything, come on and finish this so I can pass the fuck out already."

Chen obliges, holding his wings overhead to shield them from the burgeoning rain as he slips inside his human more gently than he ever has.  Minseok bites off a scream when Chen rocks tentatively into him, making the demon huff out in exasperation and roll them both over so the human straddles his familiar.  He curves his wings so they overlap above Minseok's head as he leans up to kiss him again, flooding his mouth with more venom, and the human sighs in relief and pleasure as his brain receives signals other than pain for the first time in three fucking days.

Taking advantage of the momentary respite, Chen pumps up into him, and Minseok grits his teeth against the jarring of the demon's hips against his ass.  It still hurts, but the venom forges links between pain and pleasure and it's not long until Minseok comes, screaming, all over the demon beneath him.  Chen shouts his satisfaction a moment later, and the human feels a bit of his energy spool away to the incubus--not much at all, considering how hungry the demon must be.  He _knows_ the demon is still hungry, actually--Minseok almost sobs when their link plumps and strengthens with the completion of their binding and he can finally  _feel_  his familiar properly again.

But Chen's almost sobbing, too, and Minseok realizes that his familiar can now feel exactly how injured his human actually is.  Chen gapes up at him with a look trapped between anger, pain, and respect.  "Holy fucking  _shit_ , Minseokkie--grab whatever you can't stand to leave behind, because we are getting you the fuck to a hospital right fucking now."

Minseok didn't bring much, traveling as light as possible to spare his damaged torso.  He lifts said torso off Chen's hips, thick raindrops spattering against his skin as he staggers toward the canvas bag that holds the remaining metallic paint, clothes for both of them, and the last triangle of kimbap, which he's about to eat until the demon slaps it out of his hands.  "You probably need surgery, you moron, and you can't eat before anesthesia."  With that, he wraps Minseok and the bag up in the blanket, scoops him up, and fucking  _flies_  back to Seoul.

 

Having one's own personal helicopter certainly seems like it could be quite handy, even if it insists on lecturing the human the entire twenty-minute trip to the hospital.  It's also a little chilly to be flung through the rain at such a speed, even if he is wrapped in a blanket as if he were a kimbap roll himself.  Most of the demon's irate words are whipped away by the wind as well, but Minseok still gets the gist that he's an idiot and Chen could have waited weeks or even months for the human to summon him, he'd spent centuries in the abyss, after all, so what would a small delay be, really, compared to the human's health?

He's relieved when they land unseen on the hospital roof, where Chen sets him down under a sheltering awning by the doors that lead into the building.  The demon hides away his wings and horns and tail so he can dress in the human clothing Minseok brought him while Minseok struggles to bend enough to pull his own underwear on.  Chen just huffs again and dresses his human once he's dressed himself, then practically rips the roof door from its hinges in his haste to get his stupid, idiotic moron of a human down into the hands of trained medical staff.

Said trained medical staff are horrified that Minseok has evidently been walking around with multiple ribs broken in multiple places--a condition colorfully known as "flail chest," which is appropriate, because Minseok certainly feels like he's been bludgeoned repeatedly with medieval weaponry.  After many x-rays and blood draws and several intense consultations with various doctors, they do indeed decide to send Minseok to surgery to have the fragments of his ribs wired back into their proper place so they'll quit threatening to stab him in the lungs.

When Minseok regains consciousness, he's in a room that's much nicer than the one he drifted to sleep in, and he can hear his familiar arguing even before he fully realizes where he is.  But for once, Chen doesn't seem to be yelling at his human, and though the demon's fingers are reassuringly laced between Minseok's own, the demon's ire seems to be directed at someone else.

Someone who Minseok is unfortunately also used to hearing complain.

"I hope your fucking foot rots right the fuck back off.  If you ever even  _look_  like you're threatening Minseok, his department, or anyone he cares about, I will make you regret surviving Spirit Peak," Chen is saying.

"I don't take orders from mere servants," the grating voice retorts.  "Your  _master_  is lucky I haven't sued his ass already."

"You're fucking lucky the Chief Inspector decided to save _your_  ass," comes the retort, and Minseok sighs, because of fucking course they'd put him in the VIP suite with his worst fucking enemy.

The noise evidently garners his familiar's full attention.  "Minseokkie?" Chen's voice entreats, much more gently.  "The doctors said the surgery went well, so you'll be all better in a month or two."

"Goodie," Minseok cheers unenthusiastically, slitting his eyes open to look up at his familiar's reassuring face.  "Which button do I push for more pain drugs?"

"That one," Chen points out, and Minseok bumps his dose up a notch because while his ribs are a pleasantly-dull ache, his head is fucking pounding from having to listen to these idiots.

"So glad you'll make a full recovery, Chief Inspector," the Assemblyman simpers sarcastically.  "Unlike me and my poor severed foot--"

"And which button do I push to make him shut the fuck up?" Minseok asks his familiar, absolutely done dealing with the horrible man.

"Just say the word, Minseokkie, and our friend will suffer an unfortunate embolism," the demon promises, and the hospital room falls silent except for the gentle beeping of monitoring machines.

Chen smiles triumphantly down at his human, giving Minseok's hand a squeeze, and suddenly--now that everything's over, now that Chen is right there beside him, now that his body is under repair, now that everything's fucking  _fine_  and as it should be--Minseok feels tears flood his half-closed eyes.  It must be the pain meds making him maudlin.

"Don't you dare fucking leave me again," Minseok commands in a rasping whisper as his injured body tugs him back down into recuperative sleep.

"I'll be right here," Chen promises.  "I'll be right fucking here when you wake up."

 

And Chen is indeed right fucking there when Minseok rouses, smiling before his eyes even open as he listens to his familiar charm the nurse on duty.

"Thank you so much for helping out with the noise issue--our brave Chief Inspector should be able to go home soon, right?  I'm sure he'll rest better in his own home, and someone will be in constant attendance to make sure he doesn't over-exert himself."

The nurse chuckles.  "I'm sure he'll be well taken care of, but we have to wait for the doctors to clear him.  They'll do some tests today to make sure he's able to breathe adequately, but if I could tell them that the Chief Inspector would have trained medical staff available to him at home--"

"He will," Chen asserts, making Minseok open a suspicious eye.

"I'll certainly inform the doctors of this," the nurse promises with a smile, moving on to the next patient--unfortunately a much less amicable one in the form of Assemblyman Lee.

Minseok winces as the bitter man's tirade starts up upon the arrival of a fresh, captive audience, then sighs in relief as noise-canceling headphones descend over his abused ears.

Chen smiles down at him, fussing a bit with Minseok's hair to make sure it lies comfortably beneath the earphones.

"Thanks," Minseok murmurs, then lets the soft symphony that now fills his ears carry him off to sleep again.

 

The next time he wakes it's because Chen is gently removing his earphones, just in time for Minseok to hear his favorite detective's sonorous voice.

"Well, I'm glad I don't have to kill you," Detective Do is saying, and Minseok opens his eyes tentatively, unsure as to who the dour man is addressing.

"Likewise," Chen responds, and Minseok can hear his familiar's grin before his eyes focus enough to see it on his face.

"It rather looks like someone already tried," Detective Byun's voice follows, and Minseok turns his head a little to see the men at the foot of his bed.  "You both look like absolute shit."

"Likewise again," Chen chuckles back.  "Is it really so difficult for you to fill in for your boss for a few days?"

"You've seen how he works--it'd be difficult for an _army_ to fill in for him.  And by "a few days" you really mean almost a week--it was odd enough that he randomly decided to take a two-day trip to Japan, but then he showed up the next day, pissed as all hell and moving like a robot.  He made rookies load his car with old evidence, then said he'd be taking a few personal days--by which he apparently meant, 'I've mysteriously broken all of my ribs but would rather do paperwork than go to the fucking hospital,'" Detective Byun mimics Minseok's voice eerily well before rounding on his consultant.  "We had a deal, Kim Chen--you were supposed to take care of our stubborn boss!"

"Something came up unexpectedly and I suddenly had to visit my family for a few days," Chen says.  "I'm as frustrated as you are at his condition--I leave the guy alone for less than seventy-two hours, only to find I have to forcibly take him to the hospital as soon as I get back."

"I'm fine, you're all being excessively dramatic," the Chief Inspector asserts--or rather, tries to assert, but the pain meds make his stern words come out all rubbery.  All three of his companions chuckle in response to his efforts, so Minseok just harrumphs, before silently glowering at his men.

"So are you going to tell us how you managed to get crushed half to death?" Detective Do interrogates.

Minseok shakes his head.  "It's my own stupid fault and it'll never happen again, so it's pointless to discuss.  You're all going to lecture me the same, regardless, so I'm preserving what little of my respectability remains."

"Fair enough," the owl-eyed detective allows.  "I don't care if they are letting you out of the hospital early, don't come back to work for at least another week.  Two would be better, but I won't ask our consultant for a miracle."  He favors Chen with a rare heart-shaped smile, which the consultant returns, eyes curved in mirth.

"I'll do my best," Chen asserts.

 

They do indeed let Minseok out of the hospital early, and Taozi and Detective Oh are on hand to assist the consultant with getting their grumpy boss to his apartment and securely into bed.  Minseok knows Chen is more than capable of manhandling the Chief Inspector all by himself, but he doesn't really look like he should be able to, and his rookie is absolutely thrilled to be allowed to help.  Minseok feels a bit undignified as he's lifted out of the car and carefully cradled against Detective Oh's broad chest, but the rookie does a creditable job of getting him up to his apartment without jarring his ribcage or bending his torso uncomfortably.

Once he's gently laid the Chief Inspector on his bed under Chen's watchful eye and Taozi's concerned gaze, the junior detective looks around the room.  "Where's your cat?" he asks.

Minseok smirks as he remembers he's supposed to have an actual one of those.  "He likes to hide under the furniture," he shrugs.  "I'm sure he's around here somewhere."

"Not very social?"

"He's actually kind of an ass," Minseok declares, eyes flicking to his familiar.  "But we seem to suit each other just fine, anyway."

"Probably because you're also an ass--you're at least as stubborn as one," Chen responds, making Taozi and Detective Oh lift their brows in surprise.

But Minseok only grins.  "We're only together because I'm a stubborn ass, so shut your stupid face," he admonishes his familiar fondly.

"Well, now you're stuck with me," Chen grins, "And you can look forward to two weeks of me kicking your stubborn ass at videogames, because that's about all the physical activity you're allowed to do--that is, if I can get one of these guys to help me hook it up."

"I'll help you," Detective Oh volunteers, leaving Taozi alone with the prone Chief Inspector.

The oversized imp flops down on the bed beside him.  "Please tell DaeDae I offered to help you, and that I didn't know how hurt you were," Taozi requests, giving him pleading eyes while tucking extra pillows behind Minseok so he's sitting up a bit more.  "I don't want to be the next demon ripped in half and sent back to the abyss.  It's not so bad there for me as it is for DaeDae, but still--I like it better here.  I knew you'd find him right away--he said you let him keep his wings and everything.  You really are a nice human--DaeDae's really lucky."

"Hell, yeah, he is," Minseok agrees, settling back against his fluffy throne.  "And I won't let him hurt you.  You did help me--I was on the edge of panic, but you gave me the confidence to get him back."

"I'm glad," Taozi says.  "I like having DaeDae around.  Sehunie's really fucking good at those video games, so I need someone to play with that I can actually beat."

Minseok's laughter turns into a wheeze, sending curiosity, jealousy, and concern tangling up the link.  Minseok sends fond reassurance back to his familiar, smiling when he feels the demon's emotions settle.

_I am the lucky one._

 

And later, Minseok finds himself getting lucky, his beautiful incubus stark naked and sliding gently in bed beside him, horns, tail, and tightly-folded wings in evidence once their company has gone.  

"Minseokkie," he purrs.  "I know you're hurt, but you're well-rested and well-fed and I am neither.  I flew all the way back to the fucking mountain while you were in surgery so I could get your car, and I haven't fed properly since before we went to Japan."

"Take what you need," Minseok smiles at his familiar.  "But you're doing all the work."

Chen does do all the work, teasing his human with slow, venom-free kisses and gentle, wandering hands before shifting to lie carefully between his legs and suck his human's cock down his eager throat.  Minseok watches the winged creature suck him off, doing his best to at least contribute to the lusty feedback loop their link fosters by running his gaze possessively over his familiar's new body.  He lifts a hand to caress his demon's scalp, tug gently on a curving horn, and he murmurs his approval of his beautiful Chenny's careful efforts.

"You know I love it when you suck me," he praises.  "My ChenChen is so good for me, let me see those eyes."

Sinfully-long lashes sweep up from chiseled cheekbones to reveal his demon's magnetic onyx gaze, those eyes full of seduction and mirth and vitality as serifed lips drag over Minseok's happily-participating cock.

"So fucking sexy," Minseok sighs at the hypnotic sight.  

Chen winks at him, then swirls his tongue in just the way that drives his human right to the edge, Minseok moaning happily as his skilled little sex fiend works him over.

When Minseok's spent himself in that hot little throat, Chen crawls up the bed, carefully straddling Minseok's bandaged torso and slipping his own cock between the human's self-bitten lips.

"There's my good little human," Chen coos, supporting said good little human's neck with gentle hands as Minseok sucks.  "Swallow it all well--don't make a mess, because you're not allowed to shower for a few more days and it's hard to change the sheets without jostling your poor little ribs."

Minseok wrinkles his nose in annoyance above the cock in his mouth, but just because he's on his back doesn't make him helpless.  He grabs Chen's shapely ass with both hands and squeezes, kneading the firm flesh in his palms for a moment before shoving two fingers up his familiar's ass.

Chen's squeak becomes a moan as Minseok reaches that sensitive spot inside him, and with a few twitches of his fingers (and none of his torso), Minseok brings his familiar off quite comfortably.

He does indeed swallow everything he's given, always reluctant to make a mess but now apparently with extra reasons to be tidy.  Then he lies there, boneless and painless and drained of excess energy, letting the revitalized demon clean off his exploring fingers before cuddling up to him once again for a few more laughing kisses.

"My human treats me so well," he coos.  "Somehow I seduced myself a moron who doesn't even know enough to bargain for proper payment."

"Wrong," Minseok states with a grin.  "Welcome to being so fucking whipped."

Chen tilts his head, suspicious of Minseok's confidence.

"You love me now," Minseok declares, lifting a brow.  "That means I win."

"I already liked you before," Chen scoffs.  "It's not that different--you basically demanded I give you by contract what you already had for free."  

"You only think that because you've never loved anyone before," Minseok smirks.  "You took good care of me before, I'll give you that.  But now, you'll gladly do absolutely everything in your power, whether I ask you to or not, to keep me happy, healthy, and wholly fulfilled.  Any goal I have, you'll help me achieve--won't you, my dear familiar?"

Chen's mouth drops open.  "That's not--"

"Oh, but it is," Minseok laughs, managing not to wince.  "You had to be obedient before, but now you'll fucking  _want_  to please me.  Oh, I'm sure we'll still squabble like alley cats.  In fact, I look forward to it.  But now, you'll consider my needs and desires out of selfless regard, instead of just keeping your food source appeased and in good condition.  You won't be conflicted about being attached to me, about wanting to do stupid human things to amuse me.  And I get to love you freely, plan a future with you by my side, and give you embarrassing amounts of affection.  And you won't think it's weird--you'll fucking  _like_  it."

"You're fucking  _evil_ ," Chen states, eyes wide.  "Oh fucking hell, I can already feel it--I feel  _bad_  that I'm still low enough on energy that I need to become something small for a while until you need me to have thumbs again, because I know you like to cuddle.  And now I have to know if it's okay if I'm still the same sort of cat, or if you'd prefer a pretty Siamese like Taozi, or if you'd rather have a fluffy white dog like the imp's roommate has.  I don't _want_  to be a foofy little dog, but I want you to be pleased and coo over me, so I'll learn to like dogs if you do, even if cats are way better..."

The familiar's ramble trails off, and he glares at Minseok, expressive brows drawn together in betrayal.  "What the fucking fuck did you do to me?  You...I--I think I fucking hate you, Minseokkie."

Minseok cackles, his familiar's bemusement totally worth the jarring of his ribcage.  "I love you, too, ChenChen," he coos to his scowling familiar.  "I understand if you need to conserve your strength, and I miss my pissy little kitty.  You already seduced this moron with how you were before--just be however you're most comfortable." 

He truncates a sudden yawn on a pained hiss, and when he opens his eyes, a little black cat with baleful blood-amber eyes is hissing back at him.  The little creature looks exactly like it did before--except now it has black leathery wings folded tidily against its back.  It flexes the new appendages, stretching the membranes out for a moment, giving one a few swipes of that pink raspy tongue before settling them back against its sleek body.

Minseok chuckles at the satisfaction pouring up the link, making the little beast turn to glare at Minseok for a moment before tromping around on the bed, mrowing under its breath as it tries to figure out how best to comfort its human without putting pressure on the injured torso.  Eventually it settles by Minseok's thigh, resting its head against the human's hip.  It closes those judgemental eyes for a moment, then slits them back open and stretches a furry paw out toward Minseok's nearby hand.

"I see how you are," Minseok smiles, obediently lifting his hand to stroke the little feline that's positioned itself so conveniently.  He runs his palm over that elegant head a few times before daring to let his hand pass over the amazing little wings.  They're warm and smooth under his fingers, and the cat slits those rich honey eyes open again, indignantly sending sleepy thoughts up the link at the curious human.  Minseok chuckles, resuming his languid stroking of his familiar's head and neck, leaving examining the new appendages for another time, sure now that the beast will eventually let him without clawing him to ribbons. 

"Is it really so bad, loving a human?" he asks baleful eyes.

Kitty-Chen shuts those dark copper eyes tight as if dismissing the foul human from sight, drawing another chuckle.

Yet Minseok falls asleep to the soothing sound of the feline's purr, like gently-rolling thunder against his hip.

 

And he wakes up as he's become spoiled enough to have grown accustomed to, with a smiling catboy pressing kisses into his skin before helping him sit up enough to press a perfect cup of good fucking coffee into his eager hands.

"This right here is why I fetched your ass back from hell," Minseok informs his familiar, pulling that first sip of ecstasy through his lips and rolling it happily against his tongue.

"Nice to be appreciated, even if it's for something a trained monkey could do," Chen laughs, velvety ears upright and furry tail curling against Minseok's leg.  He must really like having his wings back, because they're present in this form as well, fluttering a bit with his mirth.  

"I mean, I can basically make you orgasm forever, fly you to the top of Namsan tower, slay your enemies, make sure you never have to worry about money--hell, I'm even helping you heal faster," Chen lists.  "But no--my human just wants his morning coffee."

"And you in bed beside me," Minseok corrects, running his fingers through silky strands of hair to curve around a twitching velvet triangle.

Chen scoffs and rolls his eyes, but he leans into the touch and a throaty purr rumbles forth.  He lets his human sip coffee and stroke his hair for a few moments, but the link betrays his impatience--that and the silky tail that's swishing, swishing, swishing against the sheets.

Finally the demon breaks.  "Me on the couch beside you is just as good, right?" he coaxes.  "I'll keep your coffee cup full and I've made you breakfast--come kill demons with me.  I've made you a dude and everything!"

Minseok draws his mouth into an O of surprise, not sure if he's touched the demon went through the trouble or a bit disappointed not to be able to do it himself.  "You made me a dude?"

"It could be a chick--did you want to be a chick?" 

"I'm good with a dude," Minseok assures his familiar as he assists his injured human with unglamorous morning hygiene tasks, really making Minseok wonder how the fuck he survived for almost three days on his own.

Having a singular blinding focus is a powerful thing, he supposes.  Or maybe he'd been able to cope because the searing pain had been constant and unavoidable.  Now that agony only strikes as a punishment for moving wrong, Minseok has become ginger, quickly addicted to the blessed lack of pain and incredibly skittish of allowing it to recur.

"My stupid little hero," Chen chides, scooping up Minseok once he's finally dressed and carrying him to the living room, unable to wait for him to mince down the hall.  "I had the brute handled, and everything would have been fine and dandy and we could have been doing this  _days_  ago, but  _noooooo_ , my pillar of upstanding society had to fucking go and save the devil's own asshole, drawing the lanius's attention and distracting your mighty champion, thus ruining my perfect record with a fucking _draw_."

"Don't worry," Minseok wheezes as he's set on the sofa.  "I've learned my fucking lesson--if there are any more demons to be slain,  _you_  wear the armor and go fucking do it yourself.  I'll sit right here and wait for my mighty warrior to return--in one fucking piece, if it's not too much to ask."

"Deal," Chen nods.  "But in the meantime, let's kick digital demon ass."  He shoves a controller in Minseok's hands and directs his attention to the heavily-armored warrior on the flatscreen.

"A crusader?" Minseok laughs.

"It's fucking perfect," Chen crows.  "You're all about charging forward to stop evildoers and laying down the law.  Look--he's got a flail, so you can get poetic revenge for your poor chest.  And he has a thing called 'wrath' that makes him more powerful, so for once the angrier you get, the scarier you'll be."

Minseok rolls his eyes, but he's smiling at his familiar's carefully-thought out (if a bit mocking) choice.  "And what about your dude?" he asks, checking out Chen's chosen character, looking deadly and mysterious in a hood and bristling with a bow and a bunch of knives.

"I'm a demon hunter, of course," Chen informs him as if he should have guessed.  "I'm all about manipulation and support.  You run into the fray, full of anger, righteous with the power of your laws, while I sit back here, full of hatred, making things easier for you and ultimately saving your ass."

"So, the usual, then?" Minseok grins, tilting his head towards his familiar in an invitation for a kiss.

Chen shrugs.  "Works well enough for us most of the time, doesn't it?" he smiles, leaning in to seal their lips together.

Kissing Chen was fun before, but now--now that Minseok can feel genuine, unabashed fondness bouncing down the link beside the usual lust--now, it's fucking intoxicating, and what was meant to be a quick peck quickly turns into a heated lip-lock, Minseok playfully nibbling on his beautiful demon's lower lip while Chen hums his appreciation against his human's mouth.

When they finally separate, Minseok gazes fondly at the one he's _so fucking happy_ to have once again by his side.

"We'll be practically unstoppable."


	14. Cofurt Opurrations

Chief Inspector Kim Minseok whistles happily as he gets dressed in his sharply-pressed blue uniform, grinning at himself in the mirror.  He looks well-rested, healthy, ready to resume his role--though days on end of lounging around while his familiar coddles him and feeds him well (while the demon feeds only modestly himself) have made him a little soft around the edges.  He needs to start hitting the gym again--but that can be the goal of another day.

He strides to the bedroom closet, opening the door wide to grab his uniform jacket and cap, putting his arms through the sleeves of the one and popping the other onto his neatly-combed hair without whimpering, like a normal, healthy human being.  Proud of himself, he's grinning as he shuts the closet door, only for the smile to freeze on his lips as the closing door reveals the irked face of his familiar--boyfriend?--oppressor--glaring at him above strong arms crossed over a bare and lovely chest. 

Chen is wearing pants, at least, though they're made of a clingy jersey and they're hanging halfway off his shapely ass, enough to allow his tail to emerge--Minseok had forbidden his familiar from stealing all of his clothing and then cutting holes in it, but that hardly meant the possessive beast was going to leave his human's belongings alone.  It only means the human is subjected to the distracting sight of the top few centimeters of the demon's short-and-curlies peeking over the waistband.

This does nothing to detract from the demon's display of displeasure, and Minseok tries to stop the flood of guilt before it escapes across their link.

"And just where do you think you're going, Mister Peppy?" Chen asks, brows raised expectantly, feline ears focused on the miscreant in front of him. 

"To work," the Chief Inspector declares, determined to hold his ground despite his darling demon's disapproval.

"Like fucking hell," Chen dismisses, furry tail lashing the air below agitated wings.  "Get your deluded little ass back on the sofa."

"Chenny, my little ass has worn a groove into the sofa--I'm done with rest.  I'm fine, I'm healthy, and I need to be productive."

"Tough shit.  Surgeons cut you open to wire your fragile human bones back into place just three fucking days ago--just because you got to have a big-boy shower doesn't mean you're all better.  Sit the fuck back down."

Minseok sighs, then he tries a new approach.  He tilts his head appealingly at his beautiful familiar, smiling at him sweetly.  "But you're so good to me, ChenChen--I don't know how you're helping me heal faster, but I can tell it's working.  I feel great--you've taken perfect care of me, so I'm ready to go back to work now."

Chen just looks at him, not buying any of the bullshit Minseok is selling.  He uncrosses one arm and stretches his pinky finger out toward Minseok, slowly and gently pressing a spot about halfway down the human's left side.

Minseok lets out an agonized hiss as his world goes white-hot, reflexively twisting his body away from the assaulting digit.  This, of course, sends fresh hell dancing across all his damaged ribs, and with a defeated groan Minseok collapses onto the bed, palm hovering defensively over the prodded spot, not daring to touch the angry bone beneath still-bruised flesh.

"You're such an ass," Minseok growls as amusement floods their link, not caring at the moment that the amusement is carried by protective fondness.

"You wouldn't listen to reason," Chen retorts, but those cruel fingers have become gentle as he unbuttons Minseok's nice work shirt and undoes his professional slacks, carefully removing the Chief Inspector's uniform and hanging it back up in the closet.

Minseok scowls at his familiar as he re-dresses him in lounge pants and a T-shirt, but the unrepentant fiend just kisses the frown away.  

"Come take your frustration out on digital zombies," he coaxes, tugging his grumpy human toward the sofa where he seems doomed to spend another day.

 

The next morning, the Chief Inspector is slightly mollified to find a box of paperwork waiting for him outside his home office door.  His familiar insists that he have a proper breakfast first, but soon enough the winged demon cat is lounging in his kitty bed atop the bookcase, keeping a close eye on the human for any signs of strain.   The beast interrupts his efforts to make him take regular breaks and ends the Chief Inspector's workday far sooner than he would have ended it himself, but Minseok does feel a little less slug-like for having accomplished at least a few things.

Sitting in a chair isn't much more taxing than sitting on the sofa, so the following day Minseok is sure he can handle going in to work.  However, his alert jailor is on him before he's even gotten his trousers buttoned.  A grinning Chen merely captures his human's lips when Minseok opens his mouth to justify himself, slipping that wicked tongue inside to prevent any arguments from coming out.  

Instead of sidelining him with pain, this time those clever fingers distract him with pleasure, slipping inside his half-undone pants to caress Minseok's betraying cock.  The disloyal organ presses itself into Chen's touch, and while heated moans fill the air this time instead of agonized groans, the end result is still that Minseok ends up on his back, in bed, without his uniform on (or anything else).

"I hate you," Minseok hisses as he comes hard into his familiar's mouth, but Chen's only response is to chuckle around the cock he's licking clean.

 

A fresh box of paperwork keeps the Chief Inspector occupied at home for another two days, but Minseok knows his growing confidence in his health is entirely one-sided when Chen refuses his nightly feeding. 

"I feel great, Chenny," Minseok assures his hungry familiar.  "I know you're going easy on me while I heal, but you can take what you need."

"I know you feel great," Chen says, cuddling close but oh-so-gently.  "That's the problem."

The enigmatic demon refuses to elaborate that night, but the next morning, his intentions are made perfectly clear when Minseok is woken up not by a sweetly-smiling catboy with coffee, but by a sinfully-smirking demon sinking down onto his morning wood.

"I should have left you in hell," Minseok huffs, fingers digging hard into Chen's narrow hips as his familiar rides him.

Chen just gives him a cheeky wink, then leans down to steal a searing kiss.  "Too late for buyer's remorse," he teases before sucking a hickey just under his collarbone, hips rolling relentlessly.  "You're stuck with me now--and you're stuck here for the day, seeing as my stubborn little princeling is about to be unable to move."

"You're so fucking evil," Minseok moans, resisting the urge to buck up into his demon's hot little ass because he knows his ribs can't handle that yet and he doesn't want to give Chen any more evidence that he's still fragile.  Instead, he wraps a hand around Chen's jutting cock and strokes roughly, squeezing hard as Chen's ass clenches around him.

"Of course I am," Chen preens.  "I am a fucking demon, after all."

Moments later, Minseok's fucking demon enthusiastically decorates his chest with streaks of white as the panting human gives the fiend all of his come--and all of his energy, consigning the Chief Inspector to yet another day of sloth.

 

Chen drains his energy the following morning, too, and Minseok spends his day shooting sullen disapproval at his familiar down the link, despite the beautiful man's attempts to amuse his human.  He refuses to play any of the demon's games, video or otherwise, ignores all conversations Chen tries to start, rejects both cat and catboy when they attempt to cuddle.  He does eat the nutritious, vitality-restoring meals his familiar makes for him, though--he's got to build up his strength so that when his energy returns, he can kick his demon's tight little ass.

Minseok isn't sure whether the demon has decided that the human is actually healed enough to let out of the apartment or whether Chen just can't stand the thought of another day cooped up with his "grumpy little dumpling," but the next morning--nine whole days after he foolishly snatched a demon from the abyss and forced it to care about him--Chief Inspector Kim Minseok is _finally_ back behind his big oak desk, comfortable as could be in his black leather chair.

"I could have been doing this days ago," Minseok grumbles.  "It's not like sitting here is that different from working from home."

Chen scoffs from his position stretched out on the floor he's just finished polishing.  He's now meticulously cleaning under the faded green sofa, dutifully restoring the recently-neglected office to its usual pristine glory just so the dust-averse Chief Inspector won't try to do it himself. 

"But you don't just _sit_  when you're here, Minseokkie," Chen states, still clearly audible with his head halfway under the furniture.  "You perch on the edge of the chair and lean forward over the computer like it'll give you more information if you intimidate it enough.  And when that doesn't force it to cooperate to your liking, you stand, pace, twitch, and wiggle all around, unable to hold still while your minions do the field work, and more often than not, you're out there doing fieldwork with them." 

The demon extricates himself and sits up, expressive eyebrows drawing down as he enters full stupid-human-lecturing mode.  "And you never take the easy jobs, either--you have to prove to your minions that you're one of them, not some lazy desk jockey, so you're out there bagging and tagging and digging kids out of caves.  I didn't want you back at work yet because you can't be trusted to make self-protective choices when you're in that uniform."

Minseok's own eyebrows join the argument.  "I'm in this uniform to protect the people of Seoul, not myself."

" _You_  are one of the people of Seoul, too.  But since you're too stupid to protect yourself, you're damn lucky you have me."

"And  _we're_  damn lucky we have such a sexy, alluring Chief Inspector," Detective Byun says, wearing his most appealing expression as he bows his way through the open door.

This remark sparks a flare of jealousy down the link, but Minseok knows exactly what his aegyo-abusing detective wants him to do.

"Fuck, again?" he complains.  "Why does it always have to be me?"

"Because, oh competent Chief Inspector, you're the best at it."

Minseok rolls his eyes, then lifts his chin to point at the man still sitting on his floor.  "Byun, I barely got this ogre to let me sit in this cushy chair today--if you want me to resume active duty, you'll need to petition my meddlesome medical enforcer."

Detective Byun frowns down at the consultant.  "Yeah, I suppose I should congratulate you on keeping him at home for almost a week and a half, but my money was on five days so I'm a bit miffed about that."

"You bet on me?" Minseok asks, brows climbing as Chen snorts at his indignation.

"Of course we did," Detective Byun confirms, entirely shameless.  "I think the rookie is the closest with ten days.  We all laughed at him, but he said your consultant claimed to have a plan--whatever it was, it must have worked."

Chen winks up at the detective.  "I can be very persuasive when I need to be," he assures the man.  "But what are you trying to get your Chief to do that he seems so reluctant about?"

"He's only pretending to be reluctant--he secretly loves it when we send him clubbing," Detective Byun grins cheekily at his boss, who scowls in return.

"Why do you want your boss to go clubbing?" Chen asks, swirls of confusion crossing the link.

"Because he's perfect bait," Detective Byun says, leaning against the doorframe to grin at the pair of them, obviously enjoying Chen's surprise along with his boss' disgust.  "Male, female, nobody can resist him--we always get who we're after.  Usually we put him in tight pants and leave him on the dance floor to work his magic, but considering his body roll is currently out of commission, we'll have to do the too-shy-to-dance barfly routine this time I guess," the detective sighs.

Minseok can sense Chen's uneasiness.  "Surely you have  _someone_  on this vast police force that's better suited to picking people up in clubs than your poor injured Chief," Chen says.

"We do have lots of people who are good at it, but this is a tricky job, and the Chief truly is the best.  He can go from innocent to dangerous in the blink of an eye, and he--usually--has the combat skills to back it up.  We'd have to have Do close by this time, but not _too_ close--he's hot when he lets us doll him up but he scowls about the whole thing more than the Chief, plus he can't seem to turn off the 'touch me and I'll break your fingers' vibe, which is kind of contrary to luring in a perp."

Chen bites his lower lip, and Minseok can practically see gears churning in his head.  "So, you just need someone who can look tipsy and vulnerable at a club, appeal to both sexes, but actually be more than able to take care of themselves when a perp gets rough?" he asks, head tilted up at the detective still leaning against the open office door.

"That's the ideal," Detective Byun agrees.

Chen stands up, swaying on his feet a little, then he pretends to notice the detective.  He grins bashfully while making brief, flirty eye contact, and fuck if Chen isn't actually somehow blushing on command.  He stumbles in Detective Byun's general direction, giggles as he trips over his own feet, and ends up in the detective's arms when the man reflexively catches the body falling into him.  Chen looks up at his savior through those sinful lashes. 

"You're pretty," he giggles.

Amused, Minseok watches as his detective actually blushes for real--and then the man is red for another reason, as he suddenly ends up face down on the ground.  

"Holy fuck," Detective Byun mumbles to the freshly-cleaned floor tiles as Chen crouches over his back, twisting the detective's own arm as leverage to keep him pinned.  "Does Special Ops know you have a superspook just lounging on your sofa all day?"

Minseok laughs, wincing a bit when his ribs protest.  "Why do you think he's such a good consultant?" he asks the detective as Chen helps his victim to his feet.  The Chief Inspector is amused but not at all surprised at such a performance from the creature who seemed cuffed and vulnerable on his living room sofa--right up until he was on top of Minseok on the floor.

"Fair enough," Detective Byun says, starting to brush himself off reflexively until he seems to remember whose office he's in, whereupon his hands start rubbing his wrenched shoulder instead.  "Can we borrow your incredible consultant while you're on the mend?  And then never give him back?"

Minseok shrugs.  "He's an independent contractor--you'll have to ask him."  He swallows a smile at the excitement filtering down the link--his little incubus seems enthusiastic about getting to toy with foolish humans. 

Despite the still-entertaining video games and always-enjoyable makeout sessions, Minseok and his familiar have been resigned to a quiet, secluded existence lately while the human heals, and it seems the Chief Inspector isn't the only one anxious to get out and do things.  Minseok is fine with letting his dangerously-seductive demon loose to have some fun if he wants, especially if it's for justice.

"I'm in," Chen says, "But I'm a total layman when it comes to police procedures and protocol.  You'll have to teach me, or just use me as backup for someone that knows what they're allowed to say."

"Say whatever you want," Byun assures the consultant.  "There's no rule against lying, just don't convince anyone to do anything illegal.  Though you won't have to worry about that with this particular perp."

"Why?  Who are you looking for?"

"We don't know," the detective answers.  "We just have a bunch of pretty men missing from clubs, only to be found dead in alleys several days later.  Somebody's taking them home--we don't know if it's a man or a woman or a pair or what--the men don't really share any notable physical traits except for being good-looking, and some seemed to prefer men while some were at least publicly known to enjoy the company of women."

A trickle of something leaks across the link--some sort of foreboding, maybe--but Chen only nods.  "How do the men die?"

"That also varies.  Really, these could all be unrelated incidents, except that the men are all picked up from clubs, are missing for around the same amount of time--two or three days, occasionally up to a week--then are left in alleys.  But the analysts say it's a pattern, and they've done all their computer-y math calculations and they have a prediction as to which club will be the next setting for abduction."

Now Minseok is alarmed.  "So, what, we're just going to send my consultant home with someone, and see if he comes back alive?"  Not that Minseok is really afraid for his familiar--unless whoever it is decides to stab him with a silver-traced blade for some reason.  Even then, intellectually his money's on the demon--though he will never forget what it was like to watch Chen die, and those memories try to rip his mind away from reason to fret about the worst possible outcome.

Detective Byun rolls his eyes, completely missing the depth of his boss's anxiety.  "Of course not--we have a plan.  We'll keep a close eye on him, and he'll have a tracker on him, just in case.  None of the victims have been killed with a gun, and after kissing your floor I'm one hundred percent confident your consultant can deal with anything else."

"I could deal with a gun, too, Chief," Chen assures his human, sending pulses of warm confidence through the link.  "I'll be fine."

Minseok frowns, still not liking putting his darling demon in harm's way even though he recognizes that he's probably the best able to mitigate said harm of anyone he's ever known.  That, and the fact that if things do go incredibly haywire, Minseok can theoretically always fetch him back again--except that's gonna be hard to explain to his team.

So he doesn't object as Chen and Detective Byun discuss details and finalize plans, though Minseok knows he's going to have another interesting expense to justify to Accounting as soon as he hears the detective utter the phrase "I can take you shopping."

 

And he does indeed regret letting Detective Byun loose with his consultant and public funds, but not because of the bill.  It's because of the fact that he spends the afternoon slogging through paperwork while idly rubbing his increasingly-aching chest where the link feels stretched taut, wondering whether his detective took Chen all the way to Busan to find him a clubbing outfit.  And he regrets it even more when Chen returns, striding into his office ahead of a beaming Detective Byun.

Sometimes, Minseok's life is _so_  unfair.

It's unfair of Chen to be so fucking attractive in the first place, and unfair of his detective to dress him up to look hot as smoking fuck, and it's _really_ unfair of his heart to be battering at the inside of his damaged ribcage like this; the damaged ribcage that is the sole reason Minseok is not fucking his familiar against his office wall right this fucking minute in front of whoever happens to be standing there at the time.

_Holy.  Fucking.  Hell_.

Chen is wearing painted-on black leather pants that are soft and supple and cling in all the right places, adding a subtle sheen to the curves of his body and making it very clear that his familiar is packing heat.  And above that, he's wearing a  _mesh fucking shirt_  and  _why_  is that somehow sexier than nothing?  Minseok sees Chen naked all the fucking time, and while it's always a lovely sight, this barely-there black sleeveless top draws attention to his glorious shoulders and sexy arms while teasing with glimpses of that delicious chest--

"-- _Chief!_ "  Detective Byun is laughing.  "We haven't even done his hair and makeup yet." 

The detective has evidently been trying to get his attention for a while now, but Minseok's laser-focus is directed elsewhere at the moment, no room for anything else.

"Get out," he breathes, parted lips barely moving.

"Ooooh, suddenly need some  _private_  consultation?" Detective Byun teases as Chen laughs.

"Both of you," Minseok clarifies, brows drawing down into a scowl.  "I've been gone for almost two fucking weeks and I need to get some fucking work done.  I can't deal with all these fucking distractions."

The laughter increases from both men, but they do tumble back out into the hallway, pulling the door shut behind them and leaving Minseok alone with his paperwork (and an involuntary boner).  He firmly ignores the latter in favor of the former, determined to make a significant dent in the mountain of backlog even if it kills him--and it really is starting to seem like it might.

 

He takes another pile of paperwork home with him, too, planning to work on it after dinner despite his familiar's protests.  Chen whines about video games and overwork and doctor's orders, but he dutifully carries the heavy box up to the apartment for his injured human, and he even lets Minseok shower unsupervised while he makes dinner.  

Clean and fed, Minseok happily works on reports for a few hours before the winged cat lounging in its fancy bed on top of the bookcase decides the human has had enough.  Movement near the window catches his attention, and Minseok watches out of the corner of his eye as the beast stands up, stretches languidly, then leaps into the air, spreading those uncanny wings and gliding over to land atop the page the Chief Inspector was just reading.

"Hi," Minseok snorts down at his familiar.  "You were a handful before--now you're gonna be all 'death from above' all the fucking time, aren't you?"

Kitty-Chen gazes at him imperiously.

"Figures," Minseok says, though he stretches (and winces) and stacks his things neatly to take back to work in the morning.  He scoops the cat up, then flips him on his back to cradle him like a baby, making sure those leathery wings are tucked comfortably against his furry sides.  

Kitty-Chen complains as he's manhandled, but when Minseok starts rubbing that furry chest, the beast relaxes in his arms and starts purring as the human carries him to the bedroom.

"My pissy little kitty has always been a sucker for petting," he coos to the creature.

The feline gives him a blank look, disgust floating up through the link. 

"Don't give me that," Minseok laughs.  "You brought this on yourself.  It was your own idea to sit on me and purr that time in my office, and you suggested I pet you for my own good.  Did you forget that the link would betray how much you liked it, or did you not realize you liked it until a 'nice human' stroked you?"

Vague embarrassment drifts up from the beast in his arms as Minseok lays his familiar gently on his back on the end of the bed.  "Please don't tell me nobody ever petted you in five whole millennia," he chides.  "Villains are always stroking cats in movies--surely one of your previous humans was a cat person?"

Seething hatred crosses the link as Kitty-Chen makes an odd muttering sound, flopping over onto his side and twitching his tail as he watches Minseok get ready for bed--a bit slowly, and still with some wincing as he pulls his shirt off over his head, but mostly like a normal human being.

"Really?" Minseok asks, getting better at interpreting his familiar's emoji-charades.  "You hated all of them so much you never let any of them pet you, even though you let them fuck you?"  He heads toward the en-suite to brush his teeth.  "That's just fucking  _sad_ ," he calls over his shoulder.

As he brushes, he gets a sudden flash of Taozi, in cat form, larger than life and leaning toward him with his pink raspy tongue at the ready.  It takes him a moment to realize his familiar just sent him a memory of being groomed by the larger cat, and his eyebrows go up at the fact that he just got more information over the link than usual.  Sure, he's called his familiar by the link, but Chen had never sent anything deliberate except for "yes" or "no" before, and he's never been sure of how much of what he's tried to send to Chen went through.  Evidently the link is a more versatile communication medium than he'd been aware of.

But he also coos around the toothbrush in his mouth, because the idea of the big Siamese grooming his little black familiar is  _adorable_ , and if it's indicative of the general trend of Chen's millennia of servitude, Minseok is glad he at least got some occasional affection from somewhere.

The cooing of course results in embarrassment and disgust zinging back up the link, which makes Minseok rinse and spit between chuckles.

"You know, it doesn't make you any less of a badass if you happen to enjoy gentle things sometimes," Minseok lectures as he climbs into bed, laughing when the demon sends vehement disagreement back at him. 

Minseok hisses quietly as he positions himself--the transition from sitting to lying down (and vice versa) is really difficult to do without bending his torso, and it takes a moment until he's flat and comfortable.  Kitty-Chen watches with slowly-blinking eyes, but even though they both know this uncomfortable process is unavoidable, Minseok still enjoys the little trickle of concern from his familiar as the human gets settled.

He turns his head to gaze at his funny little feline.  "Do you think less of yourself now, because I made you love me?" Minseok asks, almost afraid of the answer.

The link goes quiet, contemplative, and then there's a naked winged catboy crawling up the bed towards him.  

"I don't know," Chen says as he shimmies under the covers and carefully tangles himself around his human.  "I mean, who the fuck commands a demon to love them?  Not loyalty, not obedience, not sexual pleasure--actual squishy human love?  It feels like a joke, except it's so fucking  _powerful_.  It was bad enough that I actually liked you before, but this _love_  bullshit is just--"  

A strange twinge twists the link, so Minseok lifts an arm to stroke silky hair and caress velvety ears as Chen continues.  "I've never liked a single human who's ever summoned me.  I hated most, pitied some, and tolerated a few, but none of them had ever treated me like you do, Minseokkie--not like a servant or a tool, but like someone who gets to have opinions and make choices instead of just do whatever they're told.   It really fucked with my head."

Minseok grins at his poor befuddled familiar.  "I'd apologize for drastically altering your worldview, except you did the same to me.  I mean, you're not supposed to actually exist, much less do any of the reality-defying shit you do."

"You only had a quarter-century of blissful ignorance to overcome, though," Chen whines.  "For five millennia I understood humans and how they worked, until suddenly I didn't.  And now I don't even understand _myself_ \--if I think you're precious, why do I want to bite your cheeks off?"

Minseok laughs, ignoring the pain in his ribs.  He's pleased to actually know the answer to his familiar's question-his academy coursework included basic psychology, because when you're trying to talk somebody off a ledge, diffuse a potentially violent situation, or get information from a reluctant witness, it helps to understand how the human mind works, especially under stress or in crisis.  

"It's called dimorphous expression, and at least when a human does it, it seems to help regulate strong emotions.  For the same reason, humans also laugh when they're nervous and cry when they're happy--we're a contrary bunch."

"Well, it's just weird--I'm a fucking demon, not an emotional human.  I'm supposed to want to bite you to hurt you or to mark you or to kill you, not because you're too fucking cute.  You fucking broke me, Minseokkie, and I don't think I'll ever forgive you."  To illustrate his words, the fucking demon presses his teeth into Minseok's deltoid, gently gnawing on the rounded muscle while growling low in his throat.

Minseok just laughs, because the link is feeding him embarrassment rather than anger.  His poor demon has squishy feelings now and doesn't know how to handle them, but Minseok has confidence he'll figure it out to his own satisfaction eventually.  After all, he figured out the complicated coffee machine--love can't be more confusing and frustrating than that shining steel contraption, and the end result is at least as rewarding.

The biting has turned to sucking and the demon's mouth has moved from Minseok's shoulder to his chest, which is always a garden of colorful blossoms these days.  Minseok moans as Chen adds another bloom to the bouquet, tightening his fingers in the demon's hair.

"'M sorry I can't feed you very well," Minseok sighs.  "I really fucking want to--especially after you just had to tease me with that fucking outfit in my office today."

A chuckle escapes around the mouthful of human flesh the demon is sucking, and he releases it with a pop.  "That was fun--your reaction was very gratifying."

Minseok scowls.  "You already know I think you're fucking hot, why must you rile me up at work in front of my crew?"

"Because I want the world to know you think I'm fucking hot, Minseokkie," Chen coos.  "And you don't need to worry about me--I won't starve to death while you recover."

"I can feel how hungry you are," Minseok reminds him, feeling frustrated at his inability to care for his familiar properly.  "It's my fault you died, so it's my fault you starved for three days in the abyss, and It's my fault I'm hurt and can't fill you back up.  I just--I hate how badly I fucked up, and that it's affecting both of us for so long."

"Eh, I'm hungry because I'm not feeding as much as you think I am--when we fuck, I've been diverting most of the released energy back into your bones to force them to heal faster," Chen confesses. 

Minseok gapes at him.  "The fuck?  Chenny, I'll heal eventually whether you help or not, and I should be the one suffering for my own idiocy, anyway, not you--I've literally put you through hell already.  Please don't starve yourself for the sake of my fragile human bones or my fragile human ego."

Chen just shrugs, staring at Minseok's shoulder rather than his face.  "It was my responsibility to keep you safe.  If you insisted on fulfilling well the contract you were tricked into forging with a demon you fucking hated, I should have known you'd risk your own life to save that horrible human sphincter." 

Minseok snorts at the epithet but then Chen is kissing him, slowly and deeply, using his lips and tongue and the link between their souls to communicate what he's unable or unwilling to say out loud--that he blames himself, that he feels terrible for allowing his precious human to be hurt, that he loves Minseok so fucking much and can't stand to see him suffer when he can do something to help.

And Minseok responds in kind, running his hands over Chen's shoulders and tightly-folded wings in the hopes that the caresses soothe the demon's spirit as well as gentle his flesh, trying to pour his own remorse and regret and apology and adoration across the link.  He'd gladly walk up that fucking mountain every damn day with free-floating chunks of his own ribs stabbing him with each labored breath if it meant he'd get to spend every holy night wrapped in his demon's wings. 

But he's not going to actually  _tell_  Chen that.  It'd go right to his head and he'd be even more arrogant and insufferable than he already is--when he's not being sweet and sexy and trying to steal Minseok's tonsils with his tongue.

The kiss quickly turns heated, Minseok moaning his arousal and groaning his frustration because there's nothing he wants more right now than to pin his familiar to the bed and then fuck him through the mattress, and despite Chen's evident view to the contrary, Minseok still feels like he fucking cockblocked himself.  Well, sure, he's getting plenty of cock, and it's not that he dislikes having his demon ride him like a stolen motorcycle, but Minseok has had about enough of careful, vanilla sex after the last week and a half of their daily delicate encounters.

Chen must sense his dissatisfaction, because he breaks the kiss to draw his lower lip between his own teeth, bottomless eyes flicking back and forth between Minseok's half-shut ones.

"If you're that frustrated and really want to feed me better, I did think of something we could try," he offers tentatively.  "I haven't mentioned it because you'd really need to trust me--if you freak out, you'll hurt yourself.  And because it might leave marks on your lovely neck."

Minseok may love Chen but he's not sure how much he trusts the devious demon.  Being forced to love the human hasn't stopped him from manipulating Minseok to suit his own idea of what's best.  Still, Minseok lifts his brow as an invitation for the incubus to explain.

"You could let me choke you."

Minseok's brow goes back down.  If there's one thing he does trust his familiar with, it's his well-being.  Chen would never do anything to risk his human's life.

"Okay," Minseok agrees easily.  "Just don't let me go to work without concealer on if you bruise me."

Surprise darts across the link.  "Huh," Chen says.  "That is not the reaction I was expecting."

Minseok rolls his eyes.  "Look, it must feel incredible, because idiots do it to each other and themselves even though they sometimes end up dead.  And while I'd never risk my life like that alone or with anyone else, you can feel me.  You'll do it perfectly, so there's no risk.  It's probably not great for my brain to deprive it of oxygen on a regular basis, but for now, you're right that as long as I don't struggle, it'd be a way to spice things up without stressing my ribs."

He barely gets his reasoning out before Chen is kissing him again, excitement and anticipation and so much hunger lighting up their link.  The blankets are shoved aside, Minseok's ready dick gets a light coating of lube, and then Chen is straddling him and they're both moaning as he impales himself.

The incubus on top of him leers down at him.  "Are you ready, my adventurous little cupcake?"

Minseok nods, hands resting on Chen's thighs.  He smiles up at his happily-dominant familiar, amused by the power and control and satisfaction zinging down the link like electricity as the demon wraps his hands around Minseok's throat.  The human may be literally putting his life in his familiar's gleeful hands, but he doesn't actually feel submissive, any more than he would if Chen was giving him one of his amazing shoulder rubs.  As far as Minseok is concerned, he's getting serviced--he's about to feel amazing, and Chen's doing all the work like a good little familiar.

Chen starts laughing, and Minseok knows his own natural feelings of dominance are leaking through the link.  The demon seems to be just as amused at the apparent contradiction as he is.

"This might end up being perfect for both of us," Chen admits with a grin, and then he starts to move on Minseok's cock while those hands tighten around his throat.

There is a brief moment where Minseok's primitive brain demands he struggle against this clear and obvious threat to his life, no matter how good Chen's ass feels on his dick right now.  But all he does is lift his own hand from Chen's leg to rest it on his wrist instead, not interfering, just reminding himself that he could stop Chen at any time if he wanted, and moreover, that Chen will stop on his own at any sign of distress from the human beneath him.

Indeed, Chen seems to be waiting, rolling his hips slowly while keeping light, steady pressure around Minseok's throat.  Once Minseok has fully relaxed again, he increases the pace of his hips and the pressure of his hands, watching the human's face carefully while wearing a confident smirk on those sexy serifed lips.

Minseok's not at all sure what his own face is doing, because he starts to feel a little light headed, a little tingly, and it's amazing and terrifying but just as he's becoming alarmed the pressure on his throat relents, and a rush of heat floods Minseok's body, enhancing the sensations on his cock and pulling a gasping moan from his lips.

"Whoa," he pants.

Chen grins smugly down at his willing victim.  "It gets better," he promises, and then the fingers around Minseok's throat tighten again.

The demon continues to ride him, choking him on and off as he edges him closer and closer to the brink of ecstasy.  Each time, he cuts off the blood for a beat longer, edging him just a little closer to the brink of ecstasy, then releases the pressure, flooding Minseok's body with endorphins.  It's like being drunk, but more intense--probably closer to what being on drugs is like, and Minseok can see why people risk their lives to chase this high.

It's addicting, incredible, amazing, and just as Minseok is about to come, Chen tightens his grip further, holds it a little longer, clenches tight around his human's hypersensitive cock.  Minseok explodes into weightless euphoria, gasping and panting wordlessly, head spinning, one hand clutching Chen's thigh, the other squeezing the demon's wrist as he fills that hot little ass with everything he has, including what feels like his very soul.

Chen is almost singing his own pleasure, using the suddenly-limp hand that used to be wrapped around his wrist to stroke himself off, the human trying feebly to help instead of just lying there like a gutted fish as a demon sprays his chest with come and siphons away his energy--hopefully enough that Chen will fucking _keep_  some of it this time.  The demon dismounts, disappearing to clean up, and then a warm rag is passing over the human's defiled skin as Minseok is still gasping through his recovery.

It hurts to pant like this, but Minseok's primitive brain is insisting that it needs all the world's oxygen after that and it's hard to disagree so he just closes his eyes and lets his body do what it will.  But then Chen is kissing him again, chuckling contentedly against his lips, and Minseok is distracted from the pain by the tongue attempting to tickle his uvula.  He hums against the demon's mouth, nipping the invading tongue, tangling it with his own, and the link warms with satisfaction at this enthusiastic proof of consciousness.

"That was surprisingly thrilling even though you barely freaked out at all," Chen declares as he snuggles close.  "I haven't been this full in weeks, Minseokkie, even though I still helped your fragile human bones--it feels really good."

"You're welcome, and my bones really appreciate it," Minseok says with a fond eye-roll, having long given up on hearing things like "please" or "thank you" from his familiar.  He can feel the link thrum with giddy affection, and that's worth more than the pretty words neither of them seem to be great at.

"You're fucking scrumptious, and there was plenty of energy for both of us," Chen replies, nuzzling Minseok's previously-abused neck.  "I'll help you paint yourself up nice in the morning."

"Thanks," Minseok snarks, but there's no heat in it.  He turns his head to kiss his demon's forehead, then settles his cheek against silky hair.  "I'm glad you're sated--hopefully we can wait for turtleneck weather before doing that again."

Chen chuckles against his skin, and for the first time in what feels like forever, Minseok's familiar cuddles him with human arms as he falls asleep to a rumbling purr.

 

Agreeing to let Chen be the bait in the department's latest sting operation turns out to be a thorn in Minseok's side, in more ways than one.  First, the Special Ops team talks the Chief Inspector into participating as well--just as backup, because Chen is a virtual unknown and nobody wants to risk failure with another man's life potentially on the line.  Minseok is entirely convinced that the team just wants to see him in tight pants again, but duty before dignity, after all.

So not only is Minseok subjected to the throbbing bass of the amped-up club music that he's been expressly forbidden from dancing to by his insistent familiar, but he has to watch the dressed-to-actually-kill, made-up-to-steal-actual-souls incubus dance instead in that lethal fucking outfit, pretending to be drunk and therefore a little awkward about it (though still fucking sexy).  That beautiful, dangerous creature belongs only to Minseok, and yet, he's supposed to just sit here calmly while  _his_  Chen giggles and flirts and bats those fucking lashes at every easily-enthralled human he sees--except, of course, for the one he's bonded to.

Minseok sips his ginger ale, trying not to scowl into the glass.  He may not be the bait, but he's still supposed to be a giddy, drunken club-goer rather than a grumpy salaryman stuffed into ripped black skinny jeans and flowy black silk top (specifically chosen to skim over the veritable corset of supportive bandages his frowning familiar had wrapped him in before allowing him to leave the apartment).

From his perch on the stool at the bar where he's been relegated, Minseok glances occasionally over at his dangerously seductive familiar.  Seriously, who the fuck had the bright idea to line the demon's already-arresting eyes, smudging the corners with deep purple smoke?  Minseok wishes he had his handcuffs and that he were healthy and that he were in a terrible low-budget porno, because then he could go over and arrest his wicked incubus for attempted murder based on that eye makeup alone.  He'd cuff Chen's hands behind his back, bend him over a table, then confiscate those leather nut-huggers as evidence before taking out all his frustrated lust on that fantastic ass.  

He must be broadcasting the discomfort in his own nut-huggers down the link, because the next time he glances over at Chen with his own heavily-lined eyes, the demon smirks at him, tossing him a wink before lowering his gaze, drawing his lower lip between his teeth, and executing a slow and sinful body roll, wrists crossed over his head.

_Fuck_.

Unable to watch this blatant display of his familiar's lethal charms anymore without seriously embarrassing himself, Minseok hops off the stool and heads toward the bathrooms.  He doesn't actually have to go, nor would he be so gauche as to take care of his little problem in a stall like a pervert, but hopefully the walk (a little off-balance, as he is supposed to be tipsy) will divert the errant blood flow in his groin and restore the circulation to his denim-encased legs instead.  He'll just wash his hands or something, then come back and sit at the bar like a good little invalid.

Minseok will never understand why club bathrooms are always located in some dark, twisty hallway.  It's almost like whoever builds these places is determined to include a place for shady things to go down.  And sure enough, as the faux-inebriated Chief Inspector staggers up, he sees one sketchy-looking dude hand another sketchy-looking dude a small packet in exchange for a handful of bills. 

The Chief Inspector grits his teeth and ignores the obvious drug deal, weaving his way past the duo and around the corner into the bathroom hallway.  There's a scantily-clad woman lounging against the wall outside the men's room door, looking bored and annoyed--until her wandering gaze lands on Minseok.

She smiles at him, and it takes her face from cold to beautiful.  "Well, hello there, Handsome," she coos, pushing herself gracefully away from the wall with one platform heel.  She strolls up to Minseok, who paused at the address and is now swaying gently on his feet as he watches her approach.

The platforms elevate the woman to Minseok's own height, and she searches his face, lifting one elegant hand to cup Minseok's cheek.  "Ah, you  _are_  a pretty one," she declares.  

Minseok feels himself blush, more from the woman's casually-handsy manner than from her words, but it works to make him look the inebriated fool.  "Nah," he slurs.  "You are."

She giggles, and it sounds like icy bells.  "Pretty and polite--you're going to be delicious, I can already tell."  

The woman suddenly leans in and gives him a peck on the mouth before Minseok realizes her intentions, and he takes a startled step back.  He feels Chen probe the link gently in response, and he's about to send back reassurance when he feels an all-too-familiar tingle on his lips.

"Come on, my pretty one," the woman says, lacing her fingers through Minseok's and stepping toward the glowing red sign of the emergency exit.

_Fuckfuckfuckfuck--_

Minseok tries to pull his hand away, already knowing she'll be far too strong despite her diminutive build.  He throws all his body weight backwards, heedless of the stabbing pains in his ribs as he screams for his familiar over the link. 

"Let me go," he demands, abandoning all pretense in his desperation to get the fuck away from this terrifying woman--this terrifying  _demon_.

She turns back toward him with a frown.  "You want to come with me," she informs him.  "I'm gorgeous, and you want me."

"I don't," Minseok gasps through gritted teeth, ribs protesting and knuckles popping as he struggles to free himself from the icy grip.  

"You should," she pouts.  "I kissed you, you're supposed to be mine now." Her eyes go wide as Minseok fruitlessly backpedals, boot heels scuffing the floor.  "Unless you're already--"

"Mine," Chen growls, crashing around the corner, murder written all over his face.

The woman squeaks and releases Minseok immediately, who is flung backward by the force of his own terror, arms flailing as he tries to catch himself.  But Chen catches him instead, anchoring Minseok's back against a solid chest through which he can feel the demon's heart racing.  They both glare at the woman, panting in unison, and even though the arm around Minseok's chest is tight enough to make his ribs complain, Chen doesn't loosen his grip and Minseok doesn't even want him to.

"Accursed One," the woman spits.  "Does your master know you're out of your cage?"

"Really?" Chen spits right back.  "Leaving your victims in alleys?"

"Oh, it's not like it matters," she dismisses.  Hard eyes rake over the entwined pair in front of her.  "Does your master know about... Whatever  _this_  is?"

"How about you fuck off back to the abyss where you belong?" Chen retorts, arm still a painful band of steel across Minseok's chest. 

Possession, defensiveness, protectiveness, and aggression are writhing through the link, and Minseok's not sure what he's sending back except for fading terror.  Chen is here, Chen has him, and the mystery of the missing men is solved--though the Chief Inspector isn't at all sure what the fuck he's going to do about it.

"Ah, but where's the fun in that?" the woman-shaped demon--succubus?--is saying.  "Speaking of fun, you  _really_  pissed off the queens this time, disappearing just as they had you pinned down.  Word is you had the audacity to  _laugh_  as you were summoned away."

"Word is you kill your meals because you have no fucking control."

The succubus tosses her long, wavy hair.  "Oh, what do you care?  They're just humans--you hate humans."  She narrows cold eyes.  "Odd, that you seem so attached to  _that_  one."

"Contracts are binding," Chen dismisses.  "This city is my master's domain, so if you're too sloppy not to kill your meals, you're going to have to feed elsewhere."

One perfect brow arches as the succubus tilts her pointed chin.  "A mere human does not dictate where we feed."

"He does when his familiar is the Death Dealer," Chen states with finality.  "Spread the fucking word."

The succubus' expression goes from cold to white hot rage.  "The Dark Lady will hear about this," she declares, then whirls elegantly on one platform-enhanced foot and stomps out of the club, letting the heavy fire door slam behind her.

Minseok releases a breath he wasn't aware he was holding, and in response, Chen relaxes his grip on his human's torso.

"You okay?" the demon asks from right next to Minseok's ear.

Minseok nods.  "Sore, though."

"The fuck were you thinking?" Chen growls, releasing Minseok's torso only to turn him around and grab him by the shoulders.  "Wandering off by yourself?"

Minseok brings his own arms up and around suddenly, breaking the demon's hold and encircling his familiar's wrists.  "I was thinking that I'm a big boy and can use the restroom all by myself, and also that if I happened to run into the perp it would be a  _normal human_ asshole, not a fucking  _demon_ , and therefore I ought to be more than capable of protecting myself, injured or not."

Detective Do strolls around the corner, looking dangerously sexy in black coated denim and an oversized, distressed sweater (also black, of course) that tends to slide off his shoulder to expose a collarbone.  His hair is styled up off his forehead, and the eye makeup team had gotten to him, too.  Still, instead of looking twinkish and vulnerable like he's supposed to, Minseok thinks he looks a bit too much like Toshio from The Grudge to properly lure a predator.

"What, are we girls now?" the eerie detective asks.  "We all have to go to the bathroom together?"

"Apparently, we do," Chen snarls, still glaring at Minseok.  "Because  _some_  people like to try to get abducted as soon as they're out of direct line of sight."

Detective Do laughs.  "Oh man, Byun is never going to leave you alone for stings after this, Chief--you're the perfect bait even when you're  _not_  the bait."

"Fuck off," Minseok grumbles, triggering more laughter from his formerly-favorite detective.  Next time Minseok needs backup, he's using the rookie--the boy still respects his superiors, and it'd be a nice change from this abuse.

"Perp get away?" Detective Do surmises, glancing at the hallway behind the two squabbling men.

"Unfortunately--Fucking tried to drag the Chief out the emergency exit, and when I came around the corner, the perp shoved him at me and ran.  I was worried about his ribs, so I caught him and kept him from hitting the deck, but the perp was out the door and gone."

"You okay, Boss?" Detective Do asks.

Minseok nods, always amazed at his demon's ability to so easily twist the demonic truth into a human-palatable version.

"Well, at least we scared him off from grabbing another poor guy," the detective placates.  "Let's call it a night--I can't wait to wash my fucking face."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Author's note:  Breath control play (choking) is fun and sexy in fantasy, but it is extremely fucking dangerous in real life.  There is a very real risk of sudden cardiac arrest even if you don't feel like you're close to losing consciousness, and **there is absolutely no way to choke someone safely**_ **.** _Anyone who tells you otherwise either does not understand[how the human body works](http://www.telecomassociation.com/pubs/chokinggamereport/files/aea3.htm) or does not have your best interests at heart.  If you don't have your very own magical demon familiar, the author strongly recommends choking be left in the realm of fantasy.  Have fun, but stay safe out there, folks!_


	15. Purrtinent Infurmation

The Chief Inspector's favorite detective might be in a rush to wash his fucking face after their night at the club, but Minseok doesn't want his familiar to have a chance to wash his.  He attacks his fiercely beautiful demon as soon as the apartment door shuts behind them.  Chen responds to his human's hungry kisses with enthusiasm, amusement drifting up the link.

"Stop being so fucking smug," Minseok growls into the kiss, but of course that only increases his obnoxiously-sexy familiar's glee.

"It's so much fun to make you want me," Chen laughs against Minseok's lips.  "I don't need venom--I just need leather pants, evidently."

"Fuck off."  Minseok bites those grinning lips, but of course his little masochist enjoys that.  "Can't you at least pretend to want me just as badly?  For sex instead of for food?"

"But you're so delicious, Minseokkie," Chen teases between kisses.  

"That's what  _she_  said," Minseok goads, and just as he'd hoped, the hunger pouring down the link is obliterated by white-hot jealousy (and simmering rage).

"You're  _mine_ ," the demon growls, stepping forward to cage Minseok against the back of the steel door with his forearms on either side of the human's face.  "I wanted to kill her for touching what's mine.  I wanted to rip her fucking arm off and beat her with it."

"She tried to envenom me," Minseok reports, letting his hands glide over the mesh covering Chen's back.  "It didn't really work?"

"That's because you're fucking  _mine_ ," Chen growls again, grinding his pelvis against Minseok's in emphasis.  "We're linked.  Nobody gets to fuck with your head--though it should have still turned you on."

"Well, I was taking a walk in the first place because you were already making my pants too tight.  Plus she was a girl."  Minseok grinds his pelvis right back.

"That wouldn't have mattered if you hadn't been linked," Chen dismisses.  "You don't scare easy--even with the lanius, you didn't panic.  So when you called me, all desperate and terrified like that, it was so fucking hard to stay as a human and not fly over the crowd or murder everyone who dared stand between us." 

He pulls Minseok away from the door to press him up against that mesh-veiled chest, careful not to hurt the human's damaged ribs.  "Can you just not endanger yourself anymore?  I don't want to find out if demons can have heart attacks."

"It's not like I do it on purpose," Minseok grumbles, hooking his pointed chin over Chen's shoulder as he returns his fretting familiar's hug.  "But it's really fucking nice to have my own terrifying demon on speed-dial."

He pulls away slightly, tugging that ridiculous excuse for a shirt over Chen's head in an attempt to take the mood from sentimental back to smoking.  "And... did I hear you actually refer to me as your master with your own actual lips?"  Minseok smirks. 

"Don't fucking get used to it," Chen spits, kissing the smirk off his infuriating human's lips as he frees his arms from the mesh.  "I didn't see any reason to flat-out tell her _you_ were my human, though if she uses her wits instead of her wiles, she'll put two and two together on her own."

The mesh had flattened Chen's hair during the shirt-removal process, and as the demon rakes it back off his face, Minseok makes the mistake of meeting Chen's eyes.  They're full of heat and promise, still so dangerously sexy, lined in shimmering black and smudged with deep royal purple at the outside corners.  He skips a breath, his tight pants suddenly feeling tighter.

Minseok allows his familiar to arouse him but not distract him.  He's stapled this hot-as-fuck demon to his side, willingly and for good, so Minseok needs to learn to send blood to his brain and his dick at the same time.  He palms Chen's perfect apple-like ass, grinding their too-tight pants together again as he moans more questions in his sexy beast's ear.

"She knew you--why?  Who was she?"

The demon groans at the continuing interrogation (or maybe at the friction on his leather-restrained cock).  "Seriously, Minseokkie?  You've been eye-fucking me all night and now you have me alone and you're going to use those lovely lips for  _talking_?"

"I have other body parts to entertain you with," Minseok states, pressing one of the main body parts in question against the demon's pelvis.  "Your mouth runs on autopilot half the time anyway--surely you can talk and take cock at the same time."

He prods the whining familiar in the direction of the breakfast table, slapping the leather-clad ass he intends to make very good use of.  He may still have limited range of motion in his torso, but his arms and legs work just fine, and after much (so much) thought on the matter, he's confident he can still toss his demon down and take what he wants while he gives Chen what he needs.  

"Wouldn't you rather fill my mouth?" Chen suggests, wiggling his eyebrows as he tries to wiggle out of spilling his precious secrets.  He palms Minseok through his jeans even as the human shuffles him backwards to his fate, fumbling at the demon's fly.

"I want your mouth filled with words and your ass filled with cock," Minseok says, pushing the demon over backwards onto the next victim in their serial abuse of kitchen furniture.  "Answer your master's questions, Chenny."

Chen whines as his back hits the polished wooden tabletop and Minseok practically rips the leather down his thighs.  "I should have let her take you."

"Ah, but you could never, because you love me," Minseok gloats as he lifts Chen's legs to tug off his boots.  "One might think a demon who's been a familiar for so long would be more cautious about the contracts he enters into.  Whether you knew what you were doing or not, the seal is set, my sexy little kitten."

The demon narrows his eyes at his own smug words thrown back in his face.  "You're fucking wicked."

"I learned from the best," Minseok acknowledges as he finishes stripping the leather off those luscious legs.  "Less whining, more answering."

"She's one of the Dark Lady's pet minions," Chen admits as Minseok liberates him from his briefs, allowing the demon's cock to spring free and his lashing spade-tipped tail to manifest, along with the accompanying horns and wings.

Minseok takes a moment to ensure his familiar's wings aren't pinned uncomfortably beneath his body, bestowing a kiss on pouting lips as a reward for the answered question.  "Hold your knees for me, please, my sweet ChenChen," he requests, granting another kiss when Chen shamelessly opens himself up for his human.  "The same Dark Lady that killed Junmyeon?"

Chen nods, looking down at his fully-dressed human over his twitching cock.

"And do you know the Dark Lady's pet minion personally?"  Minseok slides two fingers into Chen's mouth, lifting one angled brow as if he still expects an answer despite the impediment.

"Thorta," the demon slurs around the interfering fingers before curling his tongue around the invading digits.  Awkwardness slithers down the link.

Minseok grins as he pulls his hand back, and soon those digits are invading somewhere else as his demon moans.  "By which you mean you fucked her at some point?"

Chen shrugs.  "I wasn't always cursed."  Then his words dissolve into breathy vowels as Minseok crooks his fingers and pets his demon's prostate, happy to trade pleasure for information.

"But you are now, and she works for one of the queens who cursed you?"  He works his fingers ruthlessly inside his familiar.

Chen still can't form words but he nods around his groan.

"Do we need to be concerned about this?" Minseok asks, head tilted, as he slides a third finger into his demon's ass.

"P-ah! Probably not?" Chen gasps.  "The queens--ohhhh--the queens can hardly--ah--hardly get mad at me for fulfilling--oh fuck--the curse _they_ gave me."

Minseok grins down at the wrecked creature on his kitchen table.  The mussed hair, the heaving chest, the eye makeup all make him look so fucking irresistible, the wings and horns and tail make him look dangerous--and here he is, spread open and stretched out, hungry, aroused, waiting for his human's--his _master's_ cock.

_His master's domain_ , Chen had said, like Minseok was some sort of feudal lord.  He grins at the idea, but it's not entirely inaccurate.  He doesn't rule Seoul, but he certainly feels responsible for protecting it, just as a lord would be responsible for defending his people. 

And Chen--his beautiful, intimidating demon, spread out like a feast just for Minseok--seems dedicated to defending his master's people, too, without specific prompting.  He'd set himself between Seoul and the unruly denizens of the abyss, just because he knows the safety of the city is a priority for the human he loves.

"Such a good familiar," Minseok praises, sliding his fingers repeatedly against the sensitive spot inside that perfect ass. 

His demon has answered his questions, and has managed to assuage most of the human's worry, and Minseok can't hold out much longer himself--his entire being is itching to fuck the alluring creature in front of him. 

"Good familiars get rewarded," Minseok declares as he undoes his fly with his free hand, allowing his erection to spring enthusiastically free.  Then he withdraws his fingers, spits on them, smears them over his cock, and feeds it into Chen's waiting hole.

Chen whines and writhes against the table, and Minseok can feel his demon's arousal feeding off of the stinging, barely-lubed invasion.  He watches his cock get swallowed up by the demon's hot little ass, stepping slowly closer until his hips are flush against that luscious ass and the demon's tail is curling around his legs.

"Slip your heels over my shoulders and hold onto the table," Minseok instructs, gripping his familiar's thighs once they're parallel with his torso. 

He keeps his torso rigid, using his ankles as a fulcrum and those lovely thighs as leverage, leaning his whole body away from that intoxicating heat only to pull on Chen's legs to slam himself back in again.  His biceps are flexing, his shoulders, his ankles--but not his ribs, thank fucking hell, and after a few tentative thrusts to be absolutely sure, Minseok finally,  _finally_  can hammer his familiar like he's been dying to do for fucking  _weeks_.

"Fuck," he pants, loving the sight of his cock sliding in and out of its favorite home.  Well, maybe tied for favorite along with that talented mouth.

That mouth is wailing continuously now, head thrown back, neck taut and wings twitching as the familiar grips the table.  And that won't do at all, because the whole fucking point of this is that sinfully-smoky gaze.

"Look at me, ChenChen," he commands.

The demon lifts his head, fighting to keep his eyes locked on Minseok instead of rolled back in his skull.  His lips are parted, his breath is being knocked out of him in harsh pants by the impact of Minseok's hips against his ass, and the purple smudges at the corners of his eyes are an interesting contrast against his flushed skin.  Which makes Minseok think of how they'd look against his actual skin, and suddenly his curiosity must be satisfied.

"Let it go, Chenny," Minseok pants.  "The glamor--let it go."

Surprise joins the lust filtering up the link, but Chen obeys, skin going dark, gentle human curves sharpening a bit, claws appearing on wings and fingers and toes.  The angle of his torso changes as those massive flight muscles alter the contours of his back, making it easier for him to hold the human's gaze.  He continues to watch Minseok, curiosity having replaced the surprise, holding his breath against the human's reaction.

With the background skin now midnight-black, the purple effect is much more subtle--but now Minseok can easily see that the inner corners of his familiar's eyes are dabbed with shimmering silver, flaring out like butterfly wings from the bridge of his nose.

"Still so fucking gorgeous," Minseok declares, renewing his thrusting, looking down to watch lust-darkened honey disappear into velvet midnight. 

Chen's balls are drawn up tight, completely hairless in this form along with the rest of his body below the neck, and his cock--longer and thicker, with a more pronounced mushroom-shaped tip--is bouncing against his belly with every slap of hips against ass.  Minseok is really damn sure he never wants  _that_  inside of him, but nothing about Chen's actual form is enough to turn Minseok's libido off, and suddenly Minseok is laughing in rhythm with his thrusts.

Two months ago, demons didn't exist.  And now he's ardently fucking one--on his kitchen table, of all places.

Chen whines, self-consciousness and a little offended hurt sizzling up the link, and he clenches hard on Minseok's cock as if in revenge.

"Laughing at myself," Minseok assures him through a moan.  "You're so hot, feel so good--but me, of all people, and a demon--my poor kitchen," he tries to explain, breath short as he exerts himself to fuck into his familiar's perfect body even harder.  He's going to feel like he's done a thousand pushups in the morning, but it's totally worth it to be an active participant in his own sex life again.

Chen must pick up on enough through his words and the link to go from offended to amused, and Minseok is now pounding laughs from his familiar's body along with moans.  The laughs make the demon's ass clench around him rhythmically, and it feels incredible--Chen's affectionate mirth over the link feels good, the undulating pressure on his cock feels good, and Minseok sighs his familiar's name as he fills that tight little ass.

Chen chases him over the brink, streaking jet-black skin with strings of pearl, the link glowing with satisfaction.

Then heels are sliding off Minseok's suddenly-sagging shoulders just in time for a grinning catboy to hop off the table to catch him, wings flaring slightly behind him to steady them both.

"Making me catch you a lot tonight, I see," Chen purrs through a grin.

But Minseok is beyond caring about his dignity at the moment.  He just slumps against his familiar's dirty chest, briefly mourning the silk shirt he just soiled before Chen distracts him with kisses.

"You're such a weirdo," Chen accuses as he helps Minseok down the hall.  "Demanding a demon love you, then fucking that demon, un-glamored."

He lays Minseok's limp form on the bed, then sets about undressing him.  "What would the people of Seoul think if they knew their noble child-saving Chief Inspector is also an enthusiastic demon-fucker?"

Minseok does a thing that might be generously interpreted as a shrug.  "'M fucking a noble child-saving demon, though," he mumbles.  "Plus you're fucking hot, even wi' wings 'n' a tail."

Chen snorts.  "Not all my humans thought so.  I mean, I once was stuck with one who hated the idea of sex with a demon so much that he only fed me by letting me jack off whenever he did, with one of my fingers resting on him somewhere unobtrusive.  If I did anything to remind him of my presence, he'd go soft, and he of course refused to let me help him out with that."  

Chen puts Minseok's removed clothing--and his own, that he's fetched from the kitchen floor--in the hamper like a good little familiar, then does a leap-flap-bellyflop onto the bed beside his drained human.  "You're like the opposite of that guy, Minseokkie.  You're all 'I'll feed you so well' and 'envenom me so I can stay hard' and 'drop the glamor' and 'fuck me harder, Chenny, you're so good for me.'  Such a fucking weirdo."

Minseok would squirm at hearing his own voice come from his familiar's throat, but that's both beyond his ability right now and likely to hurt his ribs.  "'Shuddup," he slurs, on the edge of sleep.  "You love this demon-fucking weirdo."

Chen sighs exaggeratedly as he tucks Minseok beneath the covers and crawls in beside him.  "I am unfortunately contractually obligated to do so," he complains, but his purrs would betray his contentment even if the link weren't broadcasting cozy satisfaction.

 

On a fine sunny morning three days later, the Chief Inspector is striding proudly and painlessly towards the brass-plated station doors when movement by the corner of the building catches his eye.  It evidently catches his consultant-slash-bodyguard's eye, too, because Minseok finds himself shoved roughly behind his demon as caution and protectiveness roar through the link.

Due to the minimal height difference between himself and the one he's supposed to be sheltering behind, Minseok can easily see a fashionably-dressed man ambling toward them with a smug little smile on his eerily-pretty face.  Not handsome-- _pretty_ , with a perfectly pointed chin and wide doe-like eyes that make him look like a manga character come to life.

"JD!" the man addresses Chen.  "You're looking particularly well-fed--and I can see why, if that's your gorgeous little master behind you."

Steel-spined in front of Minseok, Chen addresses the man by a name that sounds to Minseok like Ru-kaw, only he sort of chokes on the end a bit.  "The fuck do you want?"

The beautiful man smiles but shakes his head.  "When in Rome, my dear JD--it's Lu-han these days.  Not a bird this time, but a deer.  Don't you think it suits me?"  The man smiles sweetly, batting his lashes.

Minseok can't see his familiar's face, but the link is vibrating with how unimpressed Chen is. 

"I repeat:  The fuck do you want?" the familiar spits out, voice hard.

The pretty man pouts.  "Now, is that any way to greet the one who came all this way just to warn you?  And surely you missed the sunshine of my company--we haven't seen each other in--how did they say it on the island?  In donkey's ears?  Or is it donkey's years..."  The stranger tilts his pointed chin, tapping it with an elegant finger.

"Again:  The fuck do you want?"  The link thrums with the demon's growing agitation.

The pretty stranger crosses graceful arms over his cashmere-clad chest.  "If you're going to be rude, I'm not going to tell you about the hit the Dark Lady put out on your master."

Icy-hot apprehension crackles over the link. "You fucking _better_ tell me."

"And if I do?" The man smirks, tossing his fluffy blond hair.

A deep sigh rustles through the chest in front of Minseok's.  "And now we're back to:  What the fuck do you want?"  Chen's tone is softer this time, but the link buzzes with his frustration.

"I just want a sip."

"No."  The link flares with possession.

"Oh, come on.  I have to know if his squishy human life is worth saving, don't I?"

The link feeds Minseok resentment, anger, and jealousy from his familiar.

"I don't hate you, Ru, but I  _will_  kill you--and anyone else who threatens what's mine."

"I told you, JD--it's  _Lu_ , not Ru.  And I'm not going to hurt him--I won't even touch him.  I'll just talk to him--about _you._ I'm sure in typical Jack-Daw fashion, you've been noisy and annoying but haven't actually told him much of anything, especially not about yourself.  But I know you _well_ , don't I, JD?  I could tell him _everything_."

Minseok's not sure he likes this Ru or Lu or whoever this guy is, but he's curious about what this guy knows.  On one hand, he's enjoying learning about his lover by doing things with him, like any couple.  But on the other hand, he has so many questions, and his demon is really good at dodging them.

But now the pretty stranger is laughing at them, and it steels Minseok's spine.  This creature is probably a demon, if he knows something about the Dark Lady, and that means he's not to be trusted.  Minseok will get the information he needs out of his own, relatively-domesticated demon, and won't be tempted by strange offers from stranger beings.  He'd put a supportive (definitely not possessive) palm on his demon's hip, but he wants Chen to be able to move well if things get ugly.  Instead, he tries to send pulses of loyalty and solidarity to his increasingly-agitated familiar.

The laughter cuts off with a noise of contemplation.  "Well, that  _is_  interesting.  He's definitely delicious, I'll give you that.  But so  _stingy_ \--how in hell did _you_ , of all demons, gain a human's fealty so staunchly?  You're not  _that_  good of a lay."

Minseok watches Chen's torso expand and deflate slowly, twice, as the demon takes deep breaths.  "You got your taste, Lu.  If you have useful information, and you traveled all this way to bring it to me, just deliver the goods already."

Lu taps his finger to his lips again, a flirty glint in his wide, limpid eyes.  "I don't know," he prevaricates.  "That was such a  _small_  taste--I'm still quite hungry."

Minseok is almost certain that this creature isn't referring to his physical stomach, but that's really all Minseok's willing to offer to fill.  "Then we'll take you to dinner--after work?" 

Minseok's antsy to get started with his day, but he does want whatever information this guy has about a threat to his life.  Minseok may not know brands, but he knows fucking  _expensive_  when he sees it, and this Lu is dressed head to toe in luxury.

"Somewhere fancy," he adds, trying to sweeten the offer.  "And French, with all the wine you can drink." 

Did demons like wine?  Chen had downed a tumbler of whiskey at the charity shindig, but he hasn't seen his demon drink aside from that--not that he's really offered him much opportunity.  

Lu tilts his perfectly pretty face.  "Is it an exclusive place?" he asks.

"Very," Minseok assures him.  "I can only get us in on such short notice because the manager promised me a favor." 

Solving people's problems did come with some perks, after all, though the Chief Inspector is usually far too busy (or far too boring) to take the grateful public up on their offers very often.

But this seems to be what Lu wants to hear, because his eyes light up.  "And we'll have to dress fancy?" he confirms.

"Very," Minseok says again.  "Suit and tie." 

Is Chen the only demon in all of the abyss that doesn't care about fashion?  Though Minseok is going to have to buy him a suit now, at least.  Kibum is going to make his annual budget from Minseok's purchases this month alone.

"Perfect," Lu squeals, bouncing a bit on his heels.  "I already like him, JD," he coos to Chen.  "I'll meet you back here at seven."

"Thanks," Minseok says, because giving demons what they don't expect seems to have worked well for him so far.

And it does seem to be unexpected, because Lu's perfect brows shoot up.  "Oh, no, dear delicious human--thank  _you_."  

With that, the impossibly-pretty creature turns around and saunters off, turning heads of both genders as he makes his way down the busy sidewalk.

Minseok watches him go for a moment, but Chen is gently tugging on his arm.  

"That's enough of that," he frowns.  "You're mine, and yet you're fucking determined to feed half the fucking abyss.  I'm going to need to tie you up and gag you before you behave predictably, aren't I?"

The Chief Inspector allows himself to be escorted into the building, but he lectures his consultant as they go.  "Again, it's not like I do this on purpose to piss you off.  I can hardly avoid feeding random demons if, firstly, I don't have a way to know that they're demons until too fucking late, and secondly, if normal, everyday courtesy counts as feeding.  I buy informants food all the time--how is this different?  Don't you want whatever information he's got?"

"He already spilled the important bit--you don't leave my sight from now on, Minseokkie.  I don't care what you're doing, I will be within arm's reach even if I have to fucking leash your ass to me."  He glares in all directions as he drags his human into the building, evidently keeping an eye out for any threats. 

Minseok rolls his eyes but he doesn't argue, and he doesn't mock his familiar for unlocking Minseok's office door for him (even though it's just creepy that he's evidently stolen Minseok's fingerprints) and then clearing the room before letting the Chief Inspector assume his position behind his desk.  The conversation with Lu has evidently transformed Minseok's distractible cat into a focused feline, because Chen doesn't lounge on the sofa playing violent phone games.  He perches on the corner of Minseok's desk, blocking his view of the door with his body, spine rigid, head up, alert for any possible danger.

And three weeks ago, Minseok would have told him he was being ridiculous.  But after watching one demon lie in wait for someone to walk up a forest path, and having another demon try to drag him out of a club, Minseok just accepts his familiar's obsessive protection.  It's not the first threat on his life the Chief Inspector has had to mitigate--his steadfast resistance to corruption has made him the occasional target of one organized crime group or another--but this is the first time Minseok has actually felt in danger, and with his ribs still giving him the occasional reminder that he's a mere mortal, he's inclined to follow his bodyguard's orders with grace.

When he became a cop, Minseok accepted that someday he might sacrifice his own life for his city.   It happens only rarely that police lose their lives in the line of duty--being a firefighter is much more dangerous in Seoul than being a cop.  But it still happens once or twice a year that he's attending a funeral for a fellow member of the law enforcement team, often enough to remind him that next time, it could be him.

But Minseok will not accept dying as a result of some otherworldly feud he doesn't even fully understand--though he hopes to change his understanding level at dinner tonight, at least.  That is, if his keeper will let him.

"So if you have the important bit, is there any point in me making this dinner reservation?"

Chen sighs.  "The rest of what he wants to tell us is probably just preening and gossip, but he'll have enough useful details that it's probably worth suffering through the pageantry.  Ru's an invidius--he feeds on envy.  The more you want what he has--information, good looks, wealth, power--the happier he is.  He doesn't care about the food, he cares that he'll be ogled and that he can brag about it later.  And that he gets to torment me and flirt with you." 

The jealous incubus tears his gaze from the locked steel door and the wire-reinforced window to study Minseok, cautious curiosity tickling the link.  "But he said you only gave him a tiny taste just now--I thought you wanted to know all my secrets." 

"I do," Minseok says, scrolling through his contact list for the number he needs.  "But I want  _you_  to tell me.  I'm not going to go behind your back when I know I can get the information I want directly from the source--especially since you're the only demon that I know can't lie to me.  You're a far more valuable informant, and he looks too much like a girl to appeal to me in any other way.  If you think you can get something useful out of him, I'll call in this favor, but otherwise, I'll save it just for us sometime."

The link swirls with raw affection and raging annoyance in about equal measure.  "You fucking ass," Chen complains.  "Now I basically _have_  to tell you shit, you manipulative guilt-tripping bastard."

Minseok laughs, almost painlessly.  "That wasn't my intention," he defends.  

"I know," Chen whines.  "That's why you're so terrible."

But then Minseok's familiar tilts his head at the human appraisingly.  "I'll make you a deal," he says.  "Get him to talk about the Dark Lady and this threat instead of about me, and I'll answer more questions when you feed me tonight."

Minseok grins.  "If you agree to answer the questions before you have me naked and blissed out of my skull, I'll even let you fuck me--if you bend me over the counter so my torso's nice and straight and not bouncing around, and take things easy at first, I should be able to handle it, don't you think?"  Minseok's willing to have any kind of sex with his hungry familiar that doesn't involve him flat on his fucking back anymore.

Lust sizzles down the link like lightning and roughens Chen's voice.  "Oh, I'll make sure you can handle it, my sweet little devil's food cake."

 

Kibum reaffirms Minseok's complete and utter faith in his fashion abilities again this evening just as he always does, outfitting Chen impeccably for their reservation at the fanciest French restaurant in Seoul, an elegant place on the thirty-fifth floor of a five-star hotel.  The restaurant itself has two Michelin stars, and is titled after the French chef that owns it, a name Minseok never even tries to pronounce.  It usually takes about a year to get reservations here if you're not part of the hotel's platinum membership program, but Minseok's team had stopped an embezzler before they'd run the restaurant out of business, and for that, his inquiring phone call that morning had been graciously transformed into a reservation for eight p.m.

Lu bounces excitedly in the backseat, perfectly dressed himself, and chatters about all the people he knows and places he's been.  Minseok doesn't particularly care, but he pretends to, though he supposes if the invidius feeds on envy and he's not actually producing any, that would explain the demon's growing scowl and constant switching of topics to try to find something the Chief Inspector actually does care about.

Not wanting the invidius to become so frustrated that he leaves without delivering any of this useful information that he promises to have, Minseok tries to throw him a bone when the pretty creature brings up association football.  Minseok used to follow the teams enthusiastically as a teen before becoming too busy with the academy and then his job to be able to keep up with anything but the highlights, which weren't at all the same as watching the matches live.

So he tries to remember how excited his teen self would be to talk to someone who'd actually met some of the players for Manchester United, but the demon only bursts out in incredulous laughter.

"JD, your master is trying to pity-feed me!" Lu accuses.

For once, Minseok's familiar flashes Lu an exasperated but friendly smile.  "Yeah, he fucking does that a  _lot_."

Chen looks good in his cobalt blue suit, hair swept gracefully up off his forehead.  Kibum also lined the demon's eyes, because like the department's prep team, he also seems to want to kill Minseok--though only slowly, as he'd stuck to a tight black lining with the barest hint of smoke.

"He's not pity-feeding  _you_ , though--you look so fucking full, I can't even remember the last time I've seen you so well."

"I can't remember the last time I've been so well, either.  You can see why I'd really prefer he not die."

"Well, then, it's in your best interests that I'm also well-fed tonight, isn't it?"

Minseok blinks against the white-hot jealousy the link almost blinds him with.  "Hey, asshole--I'm driving here!"  he complains.  "You know you're my favorite, I only love feeding you--"

"What the actual fuck, JD?" Lu gapes.

Minseok doesn't care what the invidius is exclaiming about so much as he's relieved to have smug possession glowing across the link, because now he can fucking see where they're going.  

"I will end anyone and everyone who threatens him, Ru," Chen promises, voice low and distinct.

"Yeah, yeah, I fucking get it, you don't need to go all John Wick on my ass."

"Who?"

"It's a movie about how much humans love their dogs.  I forgot you don't generally get out much."

"I get out whenever I want these days.  Minseokkie, let's go see a movie," Chen demands, and the link reveals that he genuinely would like to go, but also that he'd mostly like Minseok to tell Lu he'll oblige him.

So oblige his familiar he does.  "Of course, ChenChen.  We'll find a horror film with lots of jump scares and watch it in a crowded theater--I know how much you love screaming."

It's for the best that Minseok says this just as they pull into the valet parking loop, because the link goes incandescent with glee as Lu's mouth falls open in the rearview mirror.  Enjoying his familiar's enjoyment, Minseok grins, leans over, and grants him a quick kiss before exiting the vehicle.

Lu's resulting shriek is not in a language Minseok understands, but Chen is so fucking smug it almost hurts.

 

The restaurant is beautiful, done in white and gold and red, radiating opulence that Lu seems to soak in like a sponge.  He swaggers through the lobby, attitude surprisingly masculine despite that too-pretty face, and actually kisses the hostess' fingers as he bows upon being shown their table.  The woman titters, making the demon smile wickedly as they're seated.

"Oh, this is a nice place," Lu praises once he's given the bowing sommelier an exorbitant (to Minseok) wine order.  "I'm already getting quite the tasty sampler, even without your astonishingly un-envious master's personal contribution."

Lu leans across the creamy silk tablecloth toward Chen, brow raised conspiratorially.  "C'mon, JD--tell your old pal all about your dishy little delight."

Chen rolls his eyes but there's a smug smile on his feline lips.  "He's fucking amazing, and he's all fucking mine."

He laces his fingers through Minseok's, making sure Lu can see the claiming act before he moves their hands discreetly beneath the table. The human also rolls his eyes, but allows his familiar to preen, smiling softly at the pride and affection trumpeting across the link.  

"Soooo, how did you two meet?" Lu asks in an exaggerated coo.

"Through work," Minseok answers automatically as he stares down at the menu in front of him, trying to make enough sense of it to order something he'll enjoy.  But of course, he's got himself a multi-lingual, worldly demon, who merely leans over to murmur in his ear.

"I know what you like, Minseokkie.  Just let me order something for you."

Minseok presses his lips together.  On the one hand, he's a grown-ass man.  On the other, he doesn't want to have to pretend to enjoy something weird, especially because Chen will immediately recognize the farce and tease him relentlessly for it once they're alone.

"Fine," he sighs.  If he's damned to indignity either way, he's at least going to have a pleasantly-filled stomach.

Chen beams and squeezes his hand under the table, and when the bowing waiter returns, Lu's string of smiling French is immediately followed by Chen's own, the language rolling off his tongue like smooth pebbles in a stream.  The waiter bows again, collects the menus, and disappears as Chen releases Minseok's fingers to pour his human a glass of Lu's chosen wine.

"Thanks," Minseok acknowledges his familiar's efforts before taking a sip.  His brows lift and he makes a pleasantly-surprised hum when the pinkish wine turns out to be quite enjoyable--it had better be, for the price.  

Chen grins at his human's pleasure.  "I made sure it'd go nice with your meal," he assures him.

"Which will be?" Minseok asks, one angled brow raised sternly over a poorly-suppressed smile.

"A surprise," Chen teases, laughing at the resultant scrunched face Minseok tosses in his direction.

Lu tilts his head quizzically at the pair, eyes flicking back and forth as he watches the playful exchange.  "Interesting, indeed.  I can see why the Dark Lady is so set on snuffing your little sweetmeat and sending you back to her agonizing embrace.  I mean, we can't have the Accursed One being fucking  _happy._ "

Chen scowls, link thrumming with defensiveness, and his hand once again finds Minseok's under the table, clasping their fingers together as if he's afraid someone's about to take his human away.  "I'm following the fucking rules.  I'm bound by their eternal curse.  They need to get new fucking hobbies instead of changing the game now that I'm finally fucking winning for fucking once in four fucking millennia."

This last profanity-laden bit is hissed across the table through clenched teeth as Chen's eyes dart around warily for humans who may object to his choice of language.  Minseok squeezes his hand, trying to send calming pulses down the link.

"Ah, but that's the fun of being a queen," Lu laughs.  "The game is what they make it.  We are but pawns beneath their claws, and they especially want _you_  to remember that."

He winks at the approaching server, who blushes but manages not to drop the tray of appetizers.  The invidius flashes his many rings as he "assists" the flustered man to set the dishes on the table, waggling his fingers flirtatiously as the man bows and departs.

Still scowling, Chen quickly claims a plate with a precisely-shaped mound of what looks to Minseok to be raw hamburger, topped with what appears to be a raw egg yolk.  There are several small, thin-sliced, toasted pieces of bread fanned out on one edge of the plate, which the demon summarily ignores in favor of dipping his soup spoon directly into the uncooked meat.

Across the table, Lu is happily slurping snails out of their shells, and in front of Minseok is a small dish of aromatic, dark brown chunky paste, accompanied by another fan of thin-sliced, toasted bread slices.

"You like olive bread," Chen mumbles around his mouthful of meat.  "This is the fancy French version of that."  The demon transfers all of his rejected bread slices to Minseok's plate.

Minseok smears a little of the dubious-looking paste onto a toasted slice, then experiences his second pleasant surprise of the night when he puts the loaded bread into his mouth.  He really shouldn't have worried--in one way or another, Chen basically provides every meal Minseok eats at this point, and only rarely has he gotten anything wrong.  His familiar feeding him well is their normal routine.

Not much is said while the appetizers are devoured, but as soon as Lu has dispatched his army of oversized garden pests, he's back to resting his pointed chin on his hands and grinning at the pair across from him.

"You actually  _do_ , don't you, JD?" he gurgles, eyes wide.

"That's how contracts work, Lu," Chen growls, stopping just short of licking the plate in his quest to enjoy absolutely all of his raw meat.

"But still--by the sound of the dolphin-like shrieking, you'd think the Lady had discovered you'd made a contract to end the fucking world or something."  The invidius snickers. "Pfff.   _Love_ \--how very droll."

Minseok is vaguely curious as to how anyone else knows about their contract, but the waiter chooses that moment to return once more laden with plates that Lu very much seems to enjoy relieving him of, hands lingering in places a beat too long to be comfortable but far too short to be impolite.  After the poor man had blushed and stammered and made his bowing escape and Chen has refilled all of their wine glasses, the three pay proper attention to the food once again.

Lu is cooing over the presentation of his fancy seafood ensemble, Chen is disdainfully shoving the crinkly greens away from the practically still-mooing steak bleeding on his plate, and Minseok's own plate contains what appears to be an artfully-arranged trio of perfectly-cooked-for-humans lamb chops, accompanied by a light salad of more crinkly greens along with some apple and radish and a graceful smear of some sort of creamy, mustard-y sauce.

It's delicious and it does indeed go nicely with the wine, and Minseok enjoys it thoroughly.  He doesn't realize he's wiggling happily in his seat until his familiar's fond amusement gives his lack of decorum away.  He feels his cheeks heat and stills himself, reminding himself he's here to get information, not merely enjoy a fancy meal.  

He spends the remainder of his meal finishing Chen's unwanted salad (also delicious) and watching Lu carefully and joyfully dissect and consume his seafood.  Once the divine food has disappeared, Lu daintily wipes his mouth, then smiles at Minseok in a way that might be appealing if it weren't so predatory.

"So, darling little--Minseokkie, was it?"

Minseok gives the invidius a quelling look.  "That's Chief Inspector to you."

"Ah.  So, darling little Chief Inspector Minseokkie----why exactly should I help our annoying little Jack-Daw save your sexilicious but unambitious hide?"

The Chief Inspector sighs at the mixed honorific and diminutive, but he lets it slide and tries to find some reason a demon might find compelling.  He's obviously terrible at feeding this particular flavor of demon, and he's not really comfortable promising him anything.  He does his best to use his investigator's logic, trained to find possible reasons for all sorts of uncommon human behavior.  Surely some things apply to demons, too.

He uses his mouthful of tangy greens as an excuse to think, and when he finally swallows, he forces himself to meet the gaze of the waiting invidius.  "Well, because it doesn't really matter if they kill me now or wait for me to live out my natural lifespan, does it?  I mean, if you've lived for millennia, what's another half-century?  Maybe another seventy years, if I'm lucky?  It's just a blip to your kind, right?  So what's the rush?"

Furtive fuzz leaks down the link as Lu tilts his head to the side.  Taking this as an invitation to continue, Minseok barrels on.

"And, well, won't it be crueler for Chen in the long run, to have had a brief moment of happiness, only to have it ultimately, inevitably end, painting the rest of his abusive days in even starker contrast--holy fuck, Chenny, I'm so fucking sorry."  Minseok turns regretful eyes to his fidgeting familiar as he realizes what he's saying. 

What exactly had he condemned his darling demon to by demanding his love, showering him with affection and privilege and satiation that would only make the following period of starvation that much more empty?  Does his careless, selfish binding make Minseok ultimately the cruelest of Chen's humans?

But Lu is shaking his perfect head as Chen avoids Minseok's gaze, playing with the napkin from his lap that's now stained with blood from his lips, doing his best to magnify his annoyance at Lu and his adoration for Minseok in a vain effort to conceal the slippery deception he's evidently guilty of.

"Ah, but Chief Inspector Minseokkie," Lu purrs.  "These arguments would only apply to your situation if you were still an average human."

"What do you mean?" Minseok asks, all his attention on the invidius and what he knows for the first time since the too-pretty creature strolled up in front of the station.

Lu moans, letting his head drop back shamelessly as he finally gets what he wants from Chen's gorgeous little master.

Repulsed by the display and also figuring his best chance at a straight answer lies closer to home, Minseok zeros in on the shifting, twitching creature at his side.

"Chenny?" he asks, setting his hand high upon the familiar's thigh and squeezing hard.  "I can't feed him if I know what he knows."

"Ah, well, um, it's actually your own fault, Minseokkie," Chen stammers.  "I'm only doing as the contract stipulates."

"ChenChen.  What exactly are you doing?"  A sick feeling is growing in the pit of Minseok's stomach, where the lamb that melted in his mouth now lies in a frozen, indigestible clump.

"Uh, well, now that your bones are healing well, I've, uh, started transferring some of the energy you give me into alternative directions."

"Chen."  Minseok's fingers dig more firmly into his familiar's flesh.  "In plain speech, if you would."

Lu's laughing voice is slightly slurred almost as if he's on his way to intoxicated.  "He means, dear little Chief Inspector Minseokkie, that as long as your contract with the Accursed One stands, barring acts of violence against your person, you are effectively... How do you say it in this tongue?"

Lu suddenly grins, tilting his chin to his chest and widening his eyes. 

"Ah yes--Immortal."


	16. Domeowstic Hisspute

"Chenny?" Minseok knows his fingers are digging hard enough into his familiar's thigh to leave bruises.  "What the fuck does he mean, 'immortal?'"

"Uhm, well, that you're not gonna die of natural causes?"

Minseok drags his glare away from the chortling invidius across the lavishly-set table in favor of locking narrowed eyes on his squirming familiar's face.

"Oh, is  _that_  all?" he spits his sarcasm at the infuriating beast.  

"Or, well, um.  Age?"

Minseok blinks.

"What.  The.  Fuck?" he mouths voicelessly at his cringing familiar, who for once seems to be genuinely alarmed by Minseok's silent rage even though the link is also conveying the demon's obstinacy.

"You specified I was to love you, sincerely, completely, _eternally_ ," Chen reminds him.  "I didn't forget the details even if you did.  And of course I'm gonna keep you healthy and strong and at your physical peak.  I'm hardly going to watch you decline when I can easily prevent it, and this way you can do your job well--that's what you care about the most and you forced me to care about you, so now I care about that, too."

The familiar tries an appeasing smile.  "I'm just fulfilling the contract.  Like you asked.  You... You should be thrilled?" 

" _Thrilled?_ " Minseok hisses, doing his very best not to make a scene in a very fancy, very public place where people know his name and will remember his behavior.  "Why exactly am I supposed to be thrilled that you've essentially made me into a lame-ass version of a fucking  _vampire_?  Do you not think people will fucking  _notice_  when the Chief Inspector has been twenty-eight for a fucking  _decade?_ "  

"You guys can have your couple fight at home," Lu interrupts.  "Especially since you won't have anything to fight about if the Dark Lady has her way.  JD isn't called the Death Dealer for nothing, but the abyss holds a lot of demons that would  _love_  to earn the Lady's favor by returning the queens' favorite plaything.  Sooner rather than later, you'll die, he'll starve to death without you, and then he'll be their toy again."

As if he'd been discussing nothing more important than the weather, Lu proceeds to cheerfully flag down the waiter to request something in smooth and flirty French.  Minseok takes the opportunity to try to calm himself down.  He closes his eyes, takes a few deep, centering breaths, and tries to line up the facts he has to work with.  

Chen is required to abide by their evidently non-confidential contract, and he'd interpreted Minseok's addendum in a very literal sense.

The queens--or at least one of them--must really hate Chen if they want to thwart their own curse to deprive him of happiness even after four-plus millennia of oppression.

Of course, Chen has essentially thwarted the curse already, by finding a way to remain un-tormented for as long as Minseok is alive, which is evidently  _for-fucking-ever_.

So no wonder they want to murder Minseok.

Minseok is so fucking screwed.

And, as usual, it's all his own fucking fault.

Fine.  This is fine.  Minseok can deal with this.  He's the master of his own destiny, subversively-adoring familiar or not.  He'll figure out a way to set his life back on track.  He's been able to rein his demon in before, hasn't he?  He can do it again.

With his inner turmoil mostly squelched for the moment, Minseok feels Chen's concern dull to a cautious anticipation.  Minseok opens his eyes again to see that a dozen tiny, beautiful desserts have appeared on their table to be cooed over by an enthusiastic Lu.  The invidius notes Minseok's interest, then gathers all the pretty little pastries closer to himself with a wicked grin.

"See something you like?" he purrs, eyes already half-closed in expectation of being fed again.

But Minseok has had entirely enough of being manipulated by demons for one day.  He's paying for this meal, damn it, from his own fucking pocket.  If he wants a fucking dessert, he'll have a fucking dessert, and no smirking flower-boy impersonator is going to stop him.

Minseok sets his sights on a tiny cube of layered pastry and chocolate sitting close to the flower-boy impersonator's chest.  Anticipating his objective, the invidius snatches up the pastry and crams it in his grinning mouth--which is fine, because when Minseok withdraws his outstretched hand, it contains the blueberry mousse that he'd actually desired.

The link goes as slack as the invidius' face for an entire heartbeat, then Minseok is subjected to pride and awe from the link and stunned disbelief from the face as the re-centered human calmly uses the rolled wafer garnishing the top of the mousse to scoop a tiny, delicious bit onto his appreciative tongue.

"Would you have dared to do that if the Death Dealer hadn't been sitting beside your fragile human ass?" Lu eventually manages to ask, tone a little hurt.

Minseok shrugs, concentrating on scooping every last bit of sweet purple fluff out of the miniature container.  "If Chen weren't beside my fragile human ass, I wouldn't even be talking to you," he dismisses.

When Lu sputters indignantly, Minseok just holds the rolled wafer up like a conductor's baton.  "I'm a busy man, Lu, and I evidently just became busier.  I'd love to entertain you further, but it seems I need to take my familiar home, beat the ever-loving shit out of him, and then devise a demon-proof plan to reclaim my life and lifespan.  I've fed you well, physically and otherwise, so if you have any further information that might be of use to us, spit it out."

Minseok conducts his makeshift baton into his mouth, crunching the sweet wafer as he gazes at the invidius, angled brow raised expectantly.  He can feel Chen's smug presence at his side as Lu closes his gaping mouth, then slowly draws it into a smirk.

"Oh, I  _do_  like him, JD.  And I think the Temptress will, too.  You should introduce them."

"The _fuck_ would I do that?" Chen growls quietly.

Lu tilts his pretty little head to the side.  "Because gaining the Lady's favor is a powerful motivation indeed, but not if the price is the Temptress' rage.  If your bold little human were under her protection, keeping him alive would be imp's play."

"But the Temptress hates me just as much as the Lady!" Chen protests.  "Why would she protect what's keeping her from strapping me down and fucking me up?"

Lu rolls his eyes.  "Have you forgotten why you were cursed in the first place, little meddler?"

The link goes dark with fury and resentment and humiliation, only to grudgingly brighten with contemplation.

"It's a thought," the incubus allows.  "But fuck if I'm going back to the abyss to find out."

Lu produces a black business card from the inner pocket of his suit jacket and hands it to Chen.  "I run some business interests for our lovely Temptress over in Gangnam.  She enjoys personally participating from time to time, so if you decide you'd rather not see all your efforts to keep your precious little pin-up boy alive end in an ocean of blood, feel free to give me a call and I'll set up a meeting."

Chen stares at the card, the gold embossed text catching the light as he fidgets with it.  "I'll consider it.  Now hurry and eat your petit fours.  The longer Minseokkie sits here and thinks, the worse it's going to go for me when we get home."

With a wicked grin, Lu sets about slowly savoring each of the remaining tiny desserts, each deliberately-delaying act fueling the twisting coil of deliciously-apprehensive lust thudding across the link with each of Chen's heartbeats.

 

But Minseok doesn't point the car toward home once he's dropped the invidius outside the luxury high-rise listed on the business card.  Instead, he pauses outside the opulent marble-and-glass building, pulling up a contact on his phone.

"Ah, Jiyong?" Minseok addresses the man on the other end, eyeing his openly-curious familiar as he speaks.  "Are you booked tonight?  If I brought him by, would you have time--Ah, that's great!  Yeah, he's finally earned it.  Okay.  Thanks again--we'll be over in a bit."

"What have I earned?" Chen asks as Minseok transports his victim to his fate.

"I'm still not sure I'm talking to you," Minseok informs him, causing the demon to glower indignantly.

"You brought this on yourself," Chen states.  "I am only doing what you told me to do.  Are you really surprised I'm doing everything possible to be with you forever?"

"I should have demanded respect instead," Minseok spits back, pissed that he actually did fail to predict something like this from the possessive, controlling creature he stupidly fell for.  "But unless I want to kill you and re-summon you--"

"You can't," Chen interrupts, a frisson of naked fear crossing the link for the very first time.  "If you are the one to purposefully send me back to the abyss, directly or indirectly, I can't answer you again no matter how hard you call."

Minseok parks in front of their destination, letting his head rest on the steering wheel for a moment.  "So, I'm stuck with either living forever or being assassinated, and my only chance to live a normal human life is to live one without you?"

"I'm hardly going to let you kill me, Minseokkie," Chen hastens to assure him, the link back to trumpeting the demon's stubbornness.  "You're mine, and you won't be rid of me easily."

Minseok sits back, nodding once to himself.  "Which is why I have learned to use your loophole-seeking ways against you.  Get out of the car."

Chen does so, already protesting as soon as he sees the neon sign marking the business they've parked in front of.  "Minseokkie, no--"

"Chenny,  _yes_ ," Minseok interrupts.  "You will not get back in the car or otherwise attempt to avoid this.  You will cooperate, and you will not complain.  You will be a model subject for Jiyong, and when we get home, I am going to remind you who exactly is the master in this relationship."

Chen's mouth is still open, offended disbelief flooding their link.  He sets his teeth and marches toward the business entrance, not complaining verbally but certainly making his displeasure known.

 

The link is still seething with displeasure and resentment when they finally get back to the apartment, but Minseok is enjoying his turn to be smug.  As is practically tradition at this point, Minseok crowds his bitter little demon against the heavy steel apartment door as soon as it's shut behind them.  Only the memory of how much the outfit cost him prevents Minseok from ripping Chen's clothes off. 

Instead, he carefully divests his familiar of the button-down shirt he's still wearing after shedding the jacket and tie to make Jiyong's job easier.  Then, despite his demon's whine, Minseok tugs the sleeveless undershirt over Chen's hanging head before letting his satisfied gaze roam over Chen's exposed flesh, arousal kindling quickly in his belly as he takes in the recently-altered landscape. 

"My ChenChen looks so fucking sexy like this," he murmurs, voice throaty with lust.

"For now," Chen grumbles.  "I'll look fucking ridiculous later."

"Nonsense," Minseok says, stepping close to lip at his familiar's edible throat, then gently nuzzle his newly-pierced earlobe.  "The piercings are sterling silver--the wounds have already cauterized just like you said.  They should heal just fine."

"That's the fucking problem," Chen complains, but Minseok just rolls his eyes.  

"So much whining," he chides, gently tugging on the silver hoop with his teeth.

Chen squeals and Minseok chuckles low in his throat, pleased at the response.  "Strip and go sit on one of the kitchen chairs," he directs.  "Might as well continue to violate my formerly-sacred eating space."

Chen continues to grumble as he obeys, spade-tipped tail lashing behind him as he takes all his removed clothing into the bedroom like the well-trained familiar he sometimes pretends to be.  In the meantime, Minseok sets up his torture equipment, happily humming an upbeat little tune as he works.  Turning the tables on his little sadist is going to be quite satisfying, indeed.

When he turns around, his unhappy familiar is slouched in one of the sturdy wooden chairs surrounding the kitchen table.  He's the very picture of resentment with his tightly-folded wings and continuously-twitching tail, but he has pulled the chair away from the table and is sitting facing the human, within easy reach, and a tiny thread of lust is wrapped around the apprehension leaking up the link.

Minseok smirks, then wraps one of the twinkling silk cords in his hands around Chen's thighs.  He twines two more around the demon's arms before using a set of metal handcuffs to chain his wrists together behind the back of the chair.  They're not the Chief Inspector's official handcuffs, of course, nor does Minseok have any illusions that he's actually restraining the demon in any way.  His familiar will stay put because he knows that's where Minseok wants him, and he also knows that right now Minseok is fucking pissed and won't tolerate anything but strict cooperation from the beast. 

Mostly, Minseok really likes how it looks to have his pouting demon trussed up and waiting for his punishment.  But also, the metal cuffs, along with the metal filaments twined in the silk cords, conduct electricity.  So does the stainless steel ring Minseok gently slips onto the demon's helpfully-erect cock, positioning it just below the sensitive head. 

And, of course, so do the sterling silver barbels that are thrust through Chen's tender nipples.

Minseok steps on the pedal to activate the violet wand in his hand, letting the blue plasma writhe inside the narrow glass electrode he'd equipped the handpiece with.

"Here's what's going to happen, my fiendish feline.  I'll ask the questions.  You'll answer them.  I'm going to shock the fuck out of you the entire time regardless of what you say, so don't bother trying to phrase your answers in a way that you think will bring you mercy.  Your pretty little human is fresh out of that.  I'm tired of being kept in the dark, and I'm going to light you up like a Christmas tree until I fully understand the fucking mess I've gotten myself into."

Chen nods his understanding, eyes on the floor between his feet.  The lust is starting to fade from their link, so Minseok tosses his dejected demon a bone.

"However, a promise is a promise.  If you answer to my satisfaction, once I've worked off my extreme annoyance that you'd do something so drastically life-altering to me without my knowledge or consent, I'll still let you bend me over the counter and fuck me."

Chen lifts his head at this, and his cock and the link both twitch a little.

Smirking wickedly, Minseok reaches out and touches the wand to the cord around his demon's left bicep, enjoying how his victim hisses and flinches away from the contact--yet he stays put in the chair, and the link jumps with lust.

"These queens who love to hate you--one is the Dark Lady, and the other is this Temptress Lu mentioned?"  Minseok applies the wand to the cord on Chen's right forearm.

Chen nods, teeth clenched around a whine.

"What the fuck did you do to piss them off so badly?"  Sparks leap from the glass electrode to the cord around the demon's thighs.

"AHhhh I sort of started a huge fucking war in the abyss," Chen gasps.

Minseok lifts the wand away from twitching flesh.  "Sort of?" he asks before trailing the glowing blue electrode down Chen's arm.

"I didn't mean to!" Chen squirms beneath the red squiggle being left on his skin.  "I was just bored!"

Minseok gives him a judging look.  "You were bored, so you started a war?"  The electrode sends sparks dancing along a collarbone.

"Noo-aah!  I was bored so I started a few _rumors_.  It all just got out of hand."

Minseok snorts, a glimmer of amusement growing within him.  He was prepared to learn that his demon had done terrible, malicious things.  "What kind of rumors?" he asks as he draws a matching line of pain along the other collarbone.

"That's not the important part," Chen whines, writhing against the sturdy wood.

"What is the important part?"  Minseok slowly traces a long looping line from the collarbone down the demon's flesh toward the gleaming new addition to that side of his chest.

"Who the rumors were about."

"You know my next question, stubborn Chenny," Minseok admonishes, tapping the electrode to the silver cube on one end of the barbel through the demon's left nipple.  The now permanently-perky nub of sensitive flesh has been bracketed between polished squares etched with the syllable MIN on one side, SEOK on the other.

" _Fine_ you're such a bully I fucking swear--"

Minseok taps the electrode to the metal penetrating the other nipple.

" _Fuck_  holy shit it was the favorite consort of the Lord of Lust, the first succubus ever, the Dark Lady."

Minseok pauses.  "Demons have favorite consorts?"

Chen nods, panting harshly.  "Of course he didn't love her or anything, but he'd basically created her, and she pleased him.  She called herself his queen, and he allowed it."

"Until you fucked it up somehow?"  Minseok returns the electrode to the demon's skin, trailing it down his heaving abs.

"The Temptress fucked it up!" he whines.  "I just sort of inspired and encouraged anonymously from the sidelines."

"Let me guess:  This 'Temptress' somehow broke up the happy couple, hence her nickname?"  The electrode is centimeters away from Chen's twitching cock.

The demon nods.  "And claimed the 'Queen' title.  The previous owner didn't take kindly to that."

Minseok hums.  "So, this whole war was basically a catfight between two queen wannabes?"  He taps the electrode to the steel ring below the head of Chen's cock, lightning-quick.

The demon screams as he nods again, his arousal coiling across the link to tangle with Minseok's own.  "The Lord of Lust refused to choose between them.  He said they could fight it out and he'd acknowledge whoever won, so they gathered supporters and went for it.  Half the fucking abyss was involved."

Minseok taps the metal ring again, drawing another shriek from Chen's throat.  "So who won, Chenny-Chen?  The Dark Lady?"

Panting raggedly, Chen shakes his head.  "Neither--it went from a power struggle to a lethal conflict right fucking quick.  Lots of demons were ended permanently.  Lots more were severely diminished."

Minseok draws an electric line from Chen's navel to his throat.  "So now there are two queens, and they both hate you?"

Another nod from the demon's drooping head.  "I got sold out.  They'd both lost key members of their entourages, really powerful demons that they'd valued and were enraged to lose, so they decided they hated each other a lot less than they hated me for starting the whole thing in the first place, and, well."  He manages to lift his head to look Minseok in the eye.  "You know the rest."

Minseok rewards his talkative little demon with a fond smile and another zap to the left nipple.  "Not really, though, do I?" he chides.  "I only know that you can't feed unless you're someone's familiar, and even though your death here just means you end up back in the abyss, you were so fucking desperate to avoid it that you trapped me into a contract."  He zaps the right nipple, just to keep things even, then meets the panting creature's heated gaze.  "Taozi says you starve in the abyss, and that the queens torture you."

Chen nods, fighting to gather enough breath to speak.  "It fucking sucks, Minseokkie.  They made me either accept the curse or be destroyed.  Since I had manipulated my so-called betters into causing the destruction of so many, they wanted me to spend eternity being manipulated--and humiliated and abused--by mere humans."

"Poetic," Minseok declares, drawing the electrode briefly along the underside of Chen's cock.  The resulting scream and lick of lust is very satisfying, and Minseok is glad his building has excellent soundproofing.

"Except that I stopped being summoned often enough for their sadistic little hearts," Chen gasps, forcing words out as Minseok hovers the wand in front of the demon's twitching cock.  "I have to answer whenever someone calls for a familiar unless they specify a type that excludes me.  But you people have video games and movies that make demons seem unreal.  And in places where tradition is more prevalent than technology, they have religious prohibitions.  Because I agreed to their curse, the queens can't destroy me, but that doesn't stop them from reminding me that they really fucking want to.  They love taking me right to the edge and holding me there indefinitely, starving and out of my mind with pain until I get summoned again."

Minseok is impressed with just how chatty this particular technique seems to make his recalcitrant cat, but the smirk on his lips dies when Chen's bottomless black eyes lift to meet his again.

"I was fucking desperate, Minseokkie--I hadn't been summoned in almost a century before I manifested in Junmyeon's penthouse, and I was losing my fucking mind-if he hadn't fucked up and made it so I couldn't, I'd have grown three fucking vaginas if that's what he was into.  I am the best fucking familiar that ever walked the earth, because no matter what painful, degrading, atrocious shit humans make me do while I'm here, it's fucking _nothing_  compared to what happens to me in the abyss."

Chen's eyes seem to grow and brighten and moisten until he's looking up at Minseok with a gaze stolen off the most pathetic kitten in the back of an alley somewhere.  "I really want to keep you forever, Minseokiki.  I can't sit by and watch my only love grow old and die when I have the power to prevent it.  I don't want to be the first demon with a broken heart."  He adds an aegyo pout to his huge shimmering eyes.

"Fucking  _stop_  that," Minseok hisses, tapping the glans ring again with the glowing glass electrode.  "Manipulative fiend."

Chen's scream dissolves into sardonic laughter.  "That defining trait of mine is exactly why we're having this delightful conversation."

"You're a fucking obnoxious little troll," Minseok accuses, letting the electrode linger on the metallic cord entangling Chen's thighs until the demon's screams hit an impressively high note.  He might feel a little bad about hurting his familiar in anger if the link weren't glowing with lust, just as brightly as the electrode in his hand.

"Buh-ut I'm  _your_  obnoxious little troll," Chen whines when he's able.  "You  _love_  me.  I can fucking feel it through the link.  Why are you so upset about this?"

Minseok applies the electrode to the cord around one bicep, loving that despite the yowl and the twitching of the familiar's muscles, he never struggles against the cuffs around his wrists that he could so-easily get out of.  "Because being twenty-eight for eternity is unnatural.  You say you want me to be good at my job forever, but I won't be able to keep my job, because people will notice when I'm supposed to be middle-aged and still look like a grad student."

"Oh, whatever--I've seen photos of your family.  Your mom still looks like she's in her thirties.  You can tell people you have good genes.  Dye your hair gray if you want.  And then retire, and we'll move somewhere new, and you can pretend to be your own kid or something and start over.  It'll be fun."

The other bicep spasms under Minseok's attention as Chen hisses.  "That would involve so much falsified paperwork.  I'd have to come up with plausible backstories, forge documents, steal a new national ID number--" Minseok groans just thinking about it, then sets his teeth and zaps his familiar's still-excited cock.  "You've set me up to lie to everyone I care about, and everyone else I meet for the rest of my--well, forever."

"But think about how much good you'll be able to do.  Surely that's worth a few lies."

Minseok makes an exasperated noise in the back of his throat, zapping Chen's cock again, then his navel, then each nipple.  The varying yelps this produces makes Minseok's scowl twist into a smirk.  If his familiar likes to play him for a fool, Minseok will play the demon like a xylophone. 

"I'm supposed to be the master here," he reminds the devious beast.  "Even though I am a mere human, I like being in control of my short, simple life.  I like making my own decisions, deciding what's best for my own self.  You took that away from me.  You're _always_ taking that away from me.  You ignore my wishes and undermine my decisions all the fucking time."  Minseok punctuates each sentence by drawing another scream from his demon's beautifully-serifed lips.  

"Of course I do!" Chen barks, annoyance fighting with lust for domination of the link.  "You fucking neglect yourself, Minseokkie.  You take care of everyone around you and ignore your own needs to a truly stupid extent.  Who the  _fuc_ _k_  looks down at their crushed ribs, watches their chest distort in the wrong direction when they breathe, and thinks it's totally fine to ignore it for two fucking days and then hike up a fucking mountain?"

"I fucking watched you  _die_ , Chen!" Minseok snarls, holding the electrode against Chen's sternum.  "Your fucking guts were fucking _everywhere_ \--your body fucking crumbled to fucking  _dust_  in my hands, you fucking  _ass_."  Chen is thrashing against the chair, tail slicing the air behind him, the sturdy wooden seat rocking briefly up on to two legs as he wails.  "How the fuck could I not immediately do every fucking thing I could to get you back, to erase that scar from my soul?"

The skin beneath the electrode is blistered now, and Minseok pulls the wand back, horrified at himself.  He kicks the pedal to turn the machine off, then turns to set the wand down on the counter with shaking hands before pressing his palms against his face.

Chen's voice is quiet but clear behind him.  "How the fuck can I not do every fucking thing I can to keep you from leaving me, now that I love you just as much?"

Minseok hears the sound of metal against tile and then Chen's arms are wrapping around him, still decorated with the conductive cording.  With a sigh, Minseok turns in the demon's grasp so he can embrace his obnoxiously transgressive familiar properly.  Chen presses him close, careful not to squeeze the human's tender ribs but going so far as to wrap his wings around them both before resting his head on the human's shoulder, face pressed against his neck.  Minseok huffs at the sentimental display but reciprocates, nestling his nose against Chen's spicy-scented skin.

They stand there for a moment, Chen nude except for metallic adornments, Minseok still in his suit, oddly comforted by the wings around his shoulders in addition to the arms around his waist.  The keenly-observational part of Minseok's brain notes that his temper dissolves rapidly with Chen feeding his own calm back to him, creating a different kind of feedback loop than the lusty one they usually share.

"I'm not sorry," Chen murmurs against Minseok's neck.  "I'm not going to stop.  Even if you order me to, it goes counter to the contract, and that takes precedence.  You made me love you--you're fucking stuck with me."

Minseok takes a deep demon-scented breath, letting the air out on a sigh along with the last of his ire.  It's not like he was looking forward to getting old and dying, and it would have gotten awkward eventually anyway if he aged and Chen didn't, unless he convinced the demon to alter his appearance over the years.  And years are what Minseok has to figure this out.  

"Ugh, fine," Minseok concedes, words a bit muffled against the demon's neck.  "But you're still an ass.  Can you at least pretend that I have some sort of authority over you?" 

"Everything I do is for you, Minseokkie," Chen coos.

"Bullshit," Minseok dismisses.  "You fucking  _love_  to piss me off."  He pushes Chen far enough away to glare at him.

"Because you're fun when you're all riled up," Chen grins back.  "It's so satisfying to break your precious control."

Minseok looks at the demon's sternum, wincing at the blisters.  "Sorry," he mumbles.

Chen shrugs, arms and wings still wrapped around his human.  "You know it's only temporary, and you could feel that I was enjoying it.  But if you really feel bad, let me fuck you in that fancy suit."

Minseok snorts.  "You've got a thing for power symbols, don't you?" he accuses.  "You loved making me suck you off in my unmarked car, you wanted me to keep my suit on that night when I fed you, too." 

The link slithers with surprise and then defensive embarrassment.  "Shut up and bend over, Chief Inspector."  Chen folds his wings and shuffles Minseok carefully toward the granite counter.

But Minseok knows he's hit a goldmine.  "Holy hell, you fucking  _love_  that you get to fuck the Chief Inspector." 

An unsuccessfully-smothered flare of lust tells Minseok he's right even as the demon gently folds him over the padded edge.  "Of course I do--I've been waiting for you to be well enough for this for fucking weeks."

Minseok just laughs, shifting a bit so the flustered demon can reach around and undo the trousers of his suit.  "Uh-uh, you love that a high-ranking public official bends over for you--you fucking  _love_  that my crew leaps into action at my command but I kneel for you and you alone, you proud, possessive little fiend."

"Shut up and take my cock," Chen demands, shucking Minseok's pants down enough to slip a lubed finger up his ass.

"Oh, I'll take your cock," Minseok laughs.  "But I've learned terrible mouthy habits from my obnoxious familiar. If you don't want to be mocked, you better make me moan instead."

Growling low, Chen adds a second finger, crooking them to brush against Minseok's prostate.  "Oh, I'll make you moan."

Minseok obliges, writhing once against the counter before his ribs remind him that's not a great idea.

"That's right, be a good little human and hold nice and still for the beast you belong to," Chen rasps, adding a third finger as Minseok moans again.

"You belong to me," Minseok counters.  "My name is on your chest twice--ah!"

This reminder makes Chen growl and quirk his fingers firmly into the sensitive gland.  "You have no idea what you've done to me, do you?"  He withdraws his fingers, replacing them with his cock.  "Talk about a possessive ass."

He rocks against Minseok gently at first, ramping up steadily as the link reveals the human's lack of pain.  On the contrary, it feels fucking fantastic, the demon angling his hips expertly to zing into that sensitive gland every fucking time.  Minseok is quickly reduced to a babbling heap on the counter, feeding lust and affection up the link even as he struggles to speak.

"Should I wear a crown for you?" he pants as Chen thrusts into him fast but not too deep, keeping his hips from impacting against Minseok's ass hard enough to jostle him against the counter too much.  "You like to call me your prince."

"I'll call you my fluffy little cupcake, and you'll come hard for me just like you always do," Chen snarls.

"My little sex kitten," Minseok coos in response.

There's another snarl and Chen slams into him harder, jostling him enough to make his ribs twinge a little.  "I'm never purring for your ass again."

Minseok shapes his next words out of a moan.  "But you'll come for my ass," he goads, looking forward to the sensations of his familiar's pleasure, loving that he can let the demon make a mess and still always wake up clean.  "Come on, fill Seoul's heroic child-saving Chief Inspector with your hot demon jizz."

Minseok clenches around Chen's cock and is rewarded when it kicks and throbs inside him as the demon's growl becomes rhythmic grunts of pleasure.  Lust and adoration flood the link and Minseok is singing Chen's name as he spends himself into the terrycloth beneath his hips.

Chen's exasperated chuckle caresses Minseok's ears as the human's energy is siphoned off by the demon.  "So fucking sassy tonight, Minseokkie."

"Your fault," Minseok mumbles, sweaty skin sticking to the cool granite beneath his cheek.  A wool suit really isn't the best attire for exuberant activity.

"Can I take these stupid piercings out now?"  Chen asks.

"No."  

"At least the nipple rings?"

"No!"  Minseok paid good money for custom-engraved jewelry, his familiar is going to wear his master's name, so help him.

"This is familiar cruelty," Chen whines.

"Call the cops."

"Holy hell, you're an ass tonight," Chen huffs as he cleans his prince with the Disney princess wipes.

"Your fault," Minseok says again, but he does his best to support at least some of his own weight as Chen helps him to the bedroom.

Chen continues to complain about the piercings as he undresses Minseok and tucks him in, but Minseok refuses to let his familiar remove the silver from his flesh.  The demon's disgruntled muttering carries the Chief Inspector to a satisfied sleep.

 

The next morning, Minseok's coffee is delivered by a grumpy catboy who merely informs him his breakfast is on the table before stalking out of the room, his feline ears folded so flat they're hidden by his unruly hair and his tail held high and stiff behind tightly-folded wings.  Minseok frowns, wondering when exactly his demon's offended mood would wear off.  They're just piercings.  The silver hoops in his earlobes are unobtrusive but attractive, catching the light that fails to reflect off his midnight eyes, and the nipple jewelry is modest--it would be difficult for the casual observer to even know it was there if the demon deigned to wear a shirt.

Chen sulks under the couch in his energy-conserving winged-cat form as Minseok eats his energizing breakfast before heading to his office to spend his day off catching up on his still-backlogged paperwork.  The familiar makes no move to join the Chief Inspector in his office like he usually does, and Minseok decides he has had enough of the demon's pouting.

"Come with me," he commands, feeling shame and resentment down the link in response.  

Still, Chen must obey, so he slinks reluctantly from beneath the sofa, wings curved to hide his face, belly almost touching the floor.

"That's my good boy," Minseok coos, beckoning for the familiar to precede him down the hall.

More unhappiness from the link, and Chen skulks along the hardwood, wings raised like a hood.

Still, Minseok catches a silvery gleam from the side of the cat's head, causing twin realizations to strike his mind like lightning.

Number one, Chen's silver hoops are still in place in his feline ears.

Number two, that means that the other jewelry--

Minseok reaches for his familiar, who tries to scurry for the nearest low item of furniture, foiled by the closed doors at the end of the hallway.  He hisses at Minseok, who is doing his best to walk down the hall while laughing hard enough to make his ribs protest.

"Let me see!" he demands, but Chen hunkers, belly flat to the floor, yowling fiercely.

Evading the bared teeth and swiping claws, Minseok eventually manages to scoop his familiar up, flipping him onto his back to cradle him like the baby he's acting like.  He looks down at the resentfully-hissing creature in his arms, then winces as his laughter returns harder than ever.

"Fucking hell, ChenChen--this is fucking hilarious!"

The large volume of angry sounds from the tiny feline indicates he does not agree.

Several minutes later, Minseok has managed to stop laughing long enough to deposit his incredibly-embarrassed familiar in his cat bed on the bookshelf, allowing the disgruntled creature to press his shame against the plush fabric.

"Nipple piercings might the best idea I've ever had," Minseok informs his familiar as he settles into his leather desk chair.

The familiar grumbles and shifts positions so he's facing away from the cruel human, making sure to show Minseok his tiny pink asshole in the process as an incredibly-obvious "fuck you."

 

Chen is grumpy for the entire rest of the day, but as the hours pass, the link transmits less humiliation and more trepidation, twined with concern, frustration, hatred, desperation, and eventually resignation as Minseok drowsily throws an arm across the extra-cuddly winged catboy that just sexed him into semi-consciousness.  Chen didn't drain Minseok's energy nearly as much as he could have, leaving him far more coherent than usual.  After a moment, Minseok learns why.

"I think we should go see her," Chen says quietly into the darkness that surrounds them.

A beat of silence while Minseok gathers his conflicted thoughts.  "Why do you think she'll help us?"

"Because she wouldn't even  _be_  a queen if I hadn't started those rumors.  She hates me because she lost most of her retinue in the war, including several succubi she'd created herself once her association with the Lord of Lust had given her the power to do so.  But Lu is right--from a certain perspective, she owes me."

More silence.  "If one queen wants to kill me and one queen agrees to protect me, wouldn't that just start the war up again?"  Minseok hates when he has to balance human politics, nevermind navigating the still-surreal otherworldly version.

A negating hum rumbles through the familiar's chest.  "The Lord of Lust still refuses to choose one over the other, but the war cost him a lot, too.  Most of the fallen were lust demons, of course, so he forbade the two to ever make lethal war on each other again."

Chen shifts in Minseok's grasp until he can press his lips against the human's.  "They still hate each other anyway, when they're not united in hating me.  They can't fight directly, but they're always trying to out-maneuver the other anyway, to gain influence and power and followers."

Minseok's fingers wander idly over the warm leathery membrane of the wing Chen drapes over him.  "So, she might agree to help us just to piss the Lady off?"

"It's as likely as any other outcome."

"More likely than deciding to kill me straight off?"

The link flares with protection even as Chen's limbs twine tighter around the human.  "I would never bring you to her unless I had her sworn assurance she'd not harm you."

Another long silence falls as Minseok's mind swirls with too many thoughts.  He really doesn't want to go visit a sadistic demon queen that tortures his Chen for fun.  But he can't come up with any other options that seem at all likely to succeed.  Minseok still isn't really comfortable with the idea of living forever, but he certainly doesn't want to die before he even sees thirty.  Especially if his death means Chen suffers.

"Would you really still love me after I died?  The contract would be broken, right?"

"The contract would be broken, so I wouldn't  _have_  to love you.  I'm not sure if I'm capable of loving someone on my own but even if I didn't, I'd remember loving you, and I'd remember how nice it was.  I'd still mourn the fuck out of you regardless.  You're not allowed to die, Minseokkie."

The demon seals this pronouncement with another claiming kiss.  "Now sleep.  I'll call Ru in the morning."

But sleep doesn't come for a while, and when it does, Minseok is plagued by dreams.  If he's not witnessing Chen's death, he's experiencing his own, and by the time the sun's first rays stab him in the eyes, Minseok is beyond ready to end this limbo, one way or the other.  


	17. Purrostitution Rack-it

The valet is giving them dirty looks, but Chief Inspector Kim Minseok doesn't care about his image for once in his public life.  He's not scared of this Temptress.  Why would he be?  She only hates Chen, loves torturing him for amusement, has only a tenuous reason to listen to them rather than to just off Minseok like the bug she probably views him as--

"She can't break an agreement any more than I can," Chen's smile murmurs against Minseok's lips.  "She said we'd have safe passage, so while I always enjoy your tongue in my mouth, wouldn't you like to just get this over with?"

"In a minute," Minseok growls, moving his definitely-not-anxiety-driven lips to Chen's neck to suck a very visible claim over his chuckling throat.  He'd bent his rule and allowed Chen to do the same to him while feeding his darling demon the night before, but of course any marks Minseok had left then had healed by the time his familiar was sated.

Once Chen's neck is marked to his satisfaction, Minseok finally gets out of the car and allows the valet to do his job, disappearing with the unmarked vehicle into an underground parking structure below the fancy hotel they'd dropped Lu off in front of several days ago.  Through the goggles of Minseok's apprehension, the building now looks eerie instead of elegant, the white marble ghostly pale against the night while the generous windows stare at him like the empty sockets of a skull.

But Minseok squeezes down his distrust and discontentment, allowing Chen's presence at his side and his concentrated calm down their link to infuse him.  He is indeed ready to get this over with.  The last three days were some of the most nerve-wracking that the Chief Inspector has ever experienced.  He did his best to go about his business as usual, wrapping up cases, catching up on paperwork, but Chen has been in such a heightened state of protective alertness that it started to fray the edges of Minseok's sanity.

But now that they're walking into the perfectly-legitimate hotel that evidently serves as a front for a certainly-illegal brothel--like many other high-class hotels in the city, unfortunately--Chen's demeanor is the epitome of confident.  Aside from the silver jewelry Minseok still hasn't permitted him to remove, he's wearing nothing but subtle silver eyeliner and a pair of soft white jersey lounge pants that cling distractingly to all of his assets.  Even so, his calmly-cocky strut as they enter the opulent den of iniquity still manages to make Minseok feel underdressed in his stylish black three-piece suit.

Lu is waiting for them in the lobby, and while his perfect brows lift above his wicked little grin, he makes no comment about their clothing or lack thereof.  Instead, he ushers them toward an elevator with an exaggerated bow.

"Right this way, good sirs--please allow your humble host to escort you into the presence of divine sin."  Lu presses a golden keycard against the control panel and the doors slide open.

Minseok rolls his eyes as they step into the mirrored elevator car, suppressing a snort at their reflections.  Evidently living for a few millennia lends itself to the acquisition of a varied skill set, because Chen had rummaged through Minseok's very limited selection of makeup and hair products and worked some infernal magic.  With his hair up off his forehead, his eyes tightly lined, and gold hoops in both ears, Minseok looks like some sort of dangerous businessman, a mob boss perhaps, out for a stroll with his half-naked fuckboy.

"I should have put you on a studded leather leash or something," he murmurs to his familiar, much to Lu's amusement.

"Try it and die," Chen deadpans, lined eyes deadly intense.

The invidius just laughs.  "I think he'd look good in one of those bondage harnesses, personally," he suggests with a smirk.  "Make sure everyone knows his place."

Chen glowers.  "Fuck off."

"Nice jewelry, by the way."

The familiar's pecs twitch beneath his nipple piercings as self-consciousness floods the link, but he stands straight and unashamed before Lu's lecherous smirk.  "Go blow a lanius."

Lu laughs so hard that his elegant face dissolves into a chinless gape, but his life is saved when the elevator doors open to reveal a luxurious private lobby.  Dozens of stunningly-beautiful idol look-alikes lounge on brocade sofas and velvet ottomans, dressed in diaphanous robes over undergarments ranging from scandalous to girl- or boy-next-door modest.  Their coloring and figures vary as much as their attire in an obvious effort to appeal to a wide variety of tastes, though an unsettling proportion look disturbingly young.

All eyes lock on Minseok as he steps onto the plush burgundy carpet.  "Welcome to the House of Fallen Angels, Master" they chorus, wearing demure smiles or sinful smirks.

Possessive jealousy sears down the link at Minseok's back, and whatever else they might have said is cut off by the snap of Chen's wings as they manifest and spread forward to block the human from the hungry gazes all around him.

As one, all the perfect faces melt into pouts and the air is filled with sighs of disappointment.  The lack of shock at his familiar's transformation informs Minseok that he's probably the only human in the room.

"Sorry, boys and girls," Lu chuckles as he leads the wary human and disgruntled familiar past the assembly.  "Business before pleasure--but perhaps our guests will indulge when the Temptress is through with them."

"Absolutely fucking not," Chen growls.

Minseok glances over his shoulder at the seething demon.  The incubus hasn't just let his wings and horns and tail out to play, he's dropped the glamor entirely, and the glares he's searing the room with are made all the more intense by the now starkly-contrasting silver lining his burning black eyes.  His midnight skin also sets off the silver jewelry in his ears and on his chest, and the clingy white pants may as well be a glowing neon sign advertising his junk to the world.

Minseok lets his eyes flick down his familiar's body before biting his lip and turning his attention once again to where Lu is leading them, and he's immediately rewarded as the proprietary scream across the link melts into smug arousal instead.  Of course, Minseok pays for the increased comfort in his mind with decreased comfort in his pants, but life is full of trade-offs.  A non-nuclear familiar is worth a little chafing.

Still, Chen's ebony wings remain extended, arched slightly around the human walking a pace in front of him as Lu throws open a set of gilded double doors with more strength than his slender body would seem to possess.

"Your Seductive Elegance, it is my pleasure to present the esteemed Chief Inspector Kim Minseok and his familiar," Lu announces, striding across the marble floor and taking a knee before the breathtaking figure reclining elegantly on a piece of furniture that can really only be described as a throne.  Gold filigree supports cushions of royal purple, and the slim-but-sensual body resting thereon is wrapped in gold-embroidered scarlet silk.

Minseok's momentary pause is disrupted by a gentle hand on the small of his back, and he and Chen approach the throne at a measured pace as the occupant sits up straighter and leans toward them with an appraising look.  The Temptress is, of course, impossibly beautiful, with wide dark eyes framed by long, thick lashes, an elegant nose, and plump red lips that are slowly drawing into an approving smile.  Her wavy mahogany hair tumbles over her shoulders as she shifts on her throne, resting a pale elbow on a generously-padded armrest.

"Well, what a precious little morsel you've brought us, Lu, darling.  Gorgeous, reeking of arousal, and wearing a bow like a pretty little present just begging to be unwrapped."

Minseok suppresses a scowl.  If he makes it out of here alive, he is burning every single fucking bow tie he owns.

Chen's wings ripple to either side of him, and the link is reverberating with fury and possession and protection.  Minseok's not sure how his demon is managing not to wrap him up and spirit him away from the Temptress' openly-hungry gaze, and part of him wishes Chen would do just that.

Like most of his fellow countrymen, Minseok has been conditioned to respond to awkwardness with increased politeness, but his interactions with demons (and Junmyeon's books) have taught him that a bold display of strength is more likely than a demure attitude to get him what he wants.  So he offers a brief bow just deep enough to be properly respectful without ceding authority.  She may be a queen, but she's not  _his_  queen.

"Thank you for agreeing to this peaceful meeting," Minseok greets, keeping his tone neutral and even.  "I will get right to the point so as not to waste either of our valuable time."

A sharply-angled brow lifts as the Temptress tilts her head.  "Human males _beg_ to waste time with us," she purrs.  "Is our esteemed Chief Inspector a coward, anxious to flee from our presence?"

"I am not afraid," Minseok states, a bit surprised to find that it's true.  Chen's fingers are still resting on the base of his spine, and the link is feeding him stubborn defiance.  "I understand why you prefer to remain within these comfortable surroundings, but it is distasteful for a man of the law to remain in an illegal establishment longer than strictly necessary."

Chen's approval sparkles across the link at the subtle jab wrapped in perfectly-formal speech, but the Temptress just smirks at Minseok.  "Distasteful?  Why, Chief Inspector, we are surely able to cater to  _every_  taste."  

The very female form on the throne shifts into a very male one, silk robe slipping off a broad shoulder to reveal a well-developed pec.  Full lips quirk at him from a decidedly masculine face framed by short, fluffy chestnut hair.

Minseok keeps his face impassive.  "I am sorry if my own talented incubus has made me harder to impress than most human males," he says, tone not at all apologetic.  "His skills are why we are here, after all."

The being on the throne sets an angled jaw, then morphs into a perfect replica of said talented incubus, complete with furry feline ears and a silky black tail snaking out from a fold of the gold-embroidered robe.  "His insufficient skills have indeed driven you here," Chen's voice comes from across the room.  "Send him back to the abyss, and let a more qualified demon entertain you and keep you safe."

Chen's fury spikes through the link as Minseok lets his disgust show on his face.  "While his agony entertains _you_?  Why do you seek to break a perfectly valid contract for your own amusement?  Does feeding on humanity's perverse lust get boring after so many centuries?"

Across from Minseok, Chen's face scowls before melting back into the image of feminine perfection that met them when they first entered the room.  "The Death Dealer owes us agony," the Temptress spits.  "His idle foolishness nearly emptied our corner of the abyss."

"And yet you owe him your throne," Minseok refutes, heart pounding as adrenaline floods through him at the confrontation.  "I am sure that losing your favored ones has dampened any sense of loyalty or gratitude for the idle foolishness that won you the attention of the Lord of Lust in the first place, but the blame for their loss could just as easily be placed at the Dark Lady's feet.  Her agents struck the first lethal blow, after all--probably because she knew she'd lose to the superior rival for your Lord's favor if she didn't."

The world seems to freeze for an agonizingly-long period of time as Minseok tries to ignore his frenzied heartbeats in favor of the pride and support Chen is pouring like cool water over the link, and then the Temptress laughs.  Still kneeling at his queen's feet, Lu's rigid posture relaxes at the sound, mirroring Minseok's own internal relief.

"You are a bold little human indeed, Chief Inspector," the Temptress informs him through an indulgent smile.  "Such gall, to question us and lecture us before coating irritation with flattery.  Are you always this entertaining?"

"Yes," Chen and Lu answer in tandem, drawing another ringing laugh from the Temptress.

"Very well," she says.  "I will stand as a shield between the Dark Lady and your fragile human life.  But if I do you this favor, Accursed One, both you and your delightful little human will belong to us."

"Of course, My Lady," Chen says at once, folding his wings and dropping to one knee.  

Minseok's heart twinges as he watches his fierce indomitable demon calmly submit to another's authority to save his human's life, but even as Chen tugs at his arm to encourage his human to join him on the floor, Minseok is shaking his head.

"I cannot agree."

"You must, or you will die," the Temptress says, all traces of mirth gone from her beautiful face.

"Then I will die," Minseok states as Lu gapes at him and Chen scowls.

"Minseokkie," Chen says, but Minseok cuts him off.

"No, Chen," he says, heart full of bitter resignation as he detaches his familiar's fingers from his arm in favor of lacing them with his own.  

Minseok was waiting for something like this.  Whether this Temptress owes Chen her throne or not, Minseok always knew her help wouldn't come for free, and he always knew the price would be steep.  He hadn't been desperate for Chen's mouth in the car because he was afraid the Temptress would violate the peace of their meeting.  He'd wanted one last moment with his demon because part of him knew that he'd be forced by duty to break both of their hearts.

"There's nothing I want more than to be with you forever," he reminds his furious familiar, trying not to wince at the barrage of unpleasant emotions pounding at him through the link.  "But being a man of honor means I can't always have what I want.  If the price for my life is pledging allegiance to a demon queen, you know I must decline."

"But--" Chen starts, but Minseok offers the Temptress another bow.  "Thank you for your time.  I am sorry I cannot stay to amuse you further."

"I agree on his behalf," Chen protests, resisting Minseok's efforts to drag him to his feet so they can leave.  "He's only a human, I'll give him to you in exchange for his unimpeded life--"

"I forbid you to do that," Minseok says.  "I'm only a human, but I'm still your master."

"Fuck that," Chen spits.  "You can't forbid me from fulfilling the contract.  I will do anything to protect you and you can't stop me."

"Don't make me figure out how to break the contract," Minseok sighs.  "Let's just go home and enjoy what we have for as long as we can."  

"You can't just give up," Chen snarls, still on his knees on the marble floor.  "Minseokkie, please!"

Minseok closes his eyes against the stabbing sensation in his heart as a word he never thought he'd hear tumbles from Chen's lips.  It's already killing him that his stubborn, intractable familiar is willing to kneel and beg for his human's life.

"Chenny, I have to.  I have to give up my life rather than give up my soul."

Chen opens his mouth to protest again, but the Temptress's voice cuts across the room.

"What exactly is it about being in our service that you find so objectionable?"

Minseok looks up from Chen's agonized face to the Temptress's strangely curious one.  She doesn't seem offended or angry by Minseok's refusal, just idly intrigued.  "You already work with demons.  You're obviously happy to sleep with one if the bite on his neck is any indication.  The rumors say you suffered greatly to summon him from our grasp, then you made him pledge to love you in a gross perversion of the usual contract.  Why are you willing to do all of that, but unwilling to bend a knee to keep what you worked so hard to gain?"

Minseok swallows his emotions so his voice comes out as firm as his convictions.  "I won't betray my own kind.  I won't break the laws I swore to uphold.  I cannot serve you and serve Seoul, and I've already taken an oath to protect and serve my city."

He offers the Temptress a small smile as his familiar, still clasping Minseok's hand, silently rages at his feet.  "Binding Chen to myself was supposed to further my ability to do that, which is why I was willing.  If I bind myself to you, I am sure you are far more skilled than I am at forcing your minions to cooperate with your agenda, which is why I am unwilling."

The Temptress returns his smile, then tilts her head, seeming to consider him for a long moment.  "We are willing to negotiate," she finally says.  "Most humans are embarrassingly desperate to save their own lives, especially those that turn to us for aid.  Yet you are willing to give up your life instead of violating an oath no human would know you had broken."

For a moment, the Temptress is once again wearing Chen's signature serifed smile instead of her own.  "And you remain faithful to your troublesome familiar--not many humans turn away from our offer.  Such loyalty is indeed a rare thing in the abyss.  We are willing to allow you to maintain a great deal of agency to uphold what oaths you have already sworn in return for extending us such unfailing allegiance, especially since the Death Dealer is at your disposal."

Minseok snorts.  "I'm afraid he's demonstrated just how at my disposal he isn't," Minseok glares down at his subversive little beast.  "And I'm afraid that my interests conflict too much with your own.  This brothel, for instance--I am obligated to shut it down, now that I know it's here."

The Temptress just gives him a knowing smile.  "But Chief Inspector--we're providing a great service to the city of Seoul.  We cater only to the elite, those that believe themselves above the law, whose money is dirty and largely useless to us, anyway.  They think they're taking advantage of pretty young things, and yet no humans are trafficked or victimized in this establishment--the clients are the ones being preyed upon.  Their patronage makes them sluggish, drains their vitality, makes them more likely to make mistakes that land them in the hospital or in jail where I'm sure you'd prefer them to be."

Minseok is dazzled by a devastating smile that he's sure would be even more enchanting if his link with Chen didn't protect him from supernatural influence.  "Now, if our profits were to be diverted to a charity--perhaps one that benefits battered women or vulnerable teens--and if we aided in the apprehension of one or two of the slimiest scumbags each year, wouldn't our continued presence in your fine city be far more beneficial than it is harmful?"

The Chief Inspector frowns, then aims a gentle kick at the pile of demon at his feet.  "This is all your fault, you obnoxious little fiend.  My world was nicely black and white until you showed up with your silver tongue and your hot little ass.  Now I'm constantly straddling a moral gray zone, trying not to rack myself."

Chen is rubbing the hot little ass Minseok poked with his polished leather shoe, but his scowl is turning up on the edges.  "I accept both the blame for corrupting a public official and the burden of protecting your precious junk from any damage during all your straddling, just so long as you let me keep you alive and healthy, Minseokkie."

"You are the absolute worst," Minseok informs the demon he adores, then sighs as he returns his attention to the Temptress, who is certainly living up to her title.  "Besides allowing this scandalous establishment to continue to operate, what else would belonging to you entail?"

"Our kind enjoy feeding in your city.  We could slowly take over all of the high-end brothels and escort services for you.  We don't spread disease or cause unwanted pregnancies, and I'm sure your orphanages could use more funding."

Minseok sighs.  Give a demon a centimeter, they'll take a kilometer, but this is nothing he didn't already know.  "You can't employ any humans in sexual roles, and if you take over an establishment that already has human employees, you'll use your profits to set them up so they can get a legal job instead.  Educate them, get them safe apartments, whatever.  And if anyone's been trafficked, let the cops know so we can shut that shit down and get them home if they want."

"Of course, Chief Inspector.  That's in our best interests as well.  The point of brothels for us is to feed, of course--though some of us prefer the thrill of the hunt.  Seoul has quite the nightlife.  If a few more clubs open up in Gangnam and get reputations for being a good place to find attractive companionship, surely your morals won't be too compromised."

"No killing," Minseok says immediately.  "And no mind control.  If being able to look like a walking wet dream doesn't enable your people to catch their prey without additional supernatural help, they deserve to starve."

Another laugh.  "Fair enough.  The main barrier to feeding well in this city is all the competition, which we'd expect you to help with."

"How so?"

"By letting your loyal familiar evict them for us.  If we're standing against our sister for you, you shall stand against her minions for us."

"You mean kill people."

"Not people, Minseokkie\--demons,"  Chen clarifies from the floor.  "I can handle taking out the Dark Lady's trash.  They'll just end up back in the abyss, so I wouldn't actually be killing them, anyway."  Evidently, now that the unbending demon has finally knelt, he's content to stay down there and pretend to be an obedient, helpful familiar.  He looks up at Minseok, dark eyes sincere, link buzzing with suppressed hope that Minseok will agree to this nonsense. 

Minseok glares down at Chen.  "You said people don't summon you much anymore--how the fuck are there so many fucking demons in my city?"

"Because they've been on the mortal plane for centuries already.  They got summoned or slipped through a gate and aren't in a hurry to leave.  We have all sorts of tricks to out-live our summoners, and unlike me, that's what most demons want.  Remember Taozi?"

Minseok presses his lips together.  Having a cute little imp running around Seoul soaking up the public's adoration seems harmless enough, but the Chief Inspector is still opposed in principle to having demons swarming his city.  "We're not killing Taozi.  But fine, you can kill other demons as long as you don't do it in public.  Try to cause minimal property damage, and if it's a public figure we need to proceed with caution so we don't seem to have a string of unsolved murders happening on my watch."

At least there wouldn't be any bodies to dispose of.  That thought triggers a memory of Chen crumbling to dust in his arms, so Minseok hastens to add, "And if anything happens to Chen, I get to summon him again and renew our contract without interference.  Sending him on these missions for you doesn't count as me sending him indirectly to the abyss."

"Of course it doesn't," Chen assures him.  "But I'll be fine."

It's really creeping Minseok out to have his feisty familiar sitting sweet and docile at his feet.  This whole situation is creepy, and he liked it better when Chen was backing him up, literally and figuratively.  

He tugs Chen's hand, hauling him to his feet.  He can no longer handle listening to the creature that is contractually obligated to love him working with his mortal enemy to convince Minseok to save his own life.  He's already compromised so many morals, and Chen's stupid pleading eyes are going to make him compromise so many more.  Seoul's Chief Inspector isn't a strong, upstanding, stalwart soldier.  His simple, straightforward life has become a tangle of lies, and the fact that he has any moral high ground at all anymore is the biggest lie of all.

Resigned, Minseok turns back to the Temptress.  "So, in return for letting you slowly take over all the brothels in the city with your demon-staffed ones, letting your cadre feed non-lethally on my citizens without forcing them, supernaturally or otherwise, and turning my familiar into your personal demon-only hitman, you'll divert your financial profits to charities I approve of and extend us your protection against demons who want to kill me?" Minseok clarifies.  

"We will," the Temptress smiles, and Minseok doesn't trust it.  He's developing quite the complex of distrusting too-beautiful women.  And the beautiful woman in front of him adds to that complex with her next sentence. 

"We also reserve the right to discuss addendums to our agreement in the future--what's already been agreed to cannot be revoked except by mutual agreement, but we may offer additional boons in exchange for additional services, which you would be free to accept, negotiate, or decline."

"Without leverage or coercion," Minseok demands, because he's fucking tired of being manipulated into doing things that go against the increasingly-small number of his convictions.

The Temptress pouts.  "What do you take me for, Chief Inspector?"

"A demon," Minseok growls.

She laughs.  "Fair enough.  Of course, without leverage or coercion."

Minseok sighs again, letting his eyes fall shut while he wrestles internally.  On the one hand, any agreement with a demon queen, no matter how well he thinks he's negotiated, must certainly still be a fucking bad idea.  On the other hand--literally clasping his other hand in warm, reassuring fingers--is Chen.  

"Think of all the good this will do for Seoul, Minseokkie," he murmurs, and Minseok wants to punch him.  He should have tossed that fucking cat out the window of Junmyeon's fucking high rise, then fallen in love with a nice, normal, boring human that's terrible at making coffee but also terrible at causing Minseok to end up making soul-compromising deals with infernal creatures.  

"So be it," Minseok intones, eyes still closed.  He doesn't need to open them to hear the Temptress' delighted laugh or feel Chen's arms and wings and lips pressed enthusiastically against him.

 

Chen is fairly buzzing in the elevator that carries them up from the pits of hell back to the hotel lobby.  "You're gonna hurt me when we get home, aren't you?"  He sounds far more excited than concerned.

"So fucking much," Minseok promises, and the link lights up with anticipation.

"Ooh, kinky," says the other occupant of the elevator, pigtails swishing as she pulls a rainbow lollipop out of her mouth.  She looks about twelve years old, wearing Hello Kitty panties and a modest white tank top beneath her transparent pink robe.

Minseok scowls at her.  "Can you at least look like a fucking adult?  Don't encourage the lowlifes to perv on children."

The succubus blinks her big blue eyes at Minseok.  "The lowlifes are going to perv on children anyway," she chirps.  "Would you rather have me prey on them here, or would you rather they prey on actual children somewhere else?"  She assaults the lollipop with a lewd pink tongue.

Minseok's scowl deepens.  "I fucking hate demons," he growls.

"You hate lowlifes more," Chen reminds him, but that fails to erase the crease between the Chief Inspector's brows.

 

Minseok's foul mood has not improved by the time they get home, and Chen's delight is dancing across the link. 

"Gonna make me scream for you, Minseokkie?" the incubus purrs as the door clicks shut.  He's already slouched against it, furry ears and leathery wings and swishing tail quivering in anticipation, obvious tent in his clingy white pants.

"It's less satisfying if you're so obviously excited about it," Minseok grumbles.  He makes no move to cage the demon against the heavy steel door.

"You'd never do it if I weren't excited about it," Chen points out, reaching out to tug the grumpy human against his bare chest.

Minseok allows himself to be drawn into his familiar's embrace, just as he's allowed demons to manipulate him all fucking night.  "You're fucking infuriating," he glowers as Chen wraps him in arms and wings and presses kisses against his neck.  "I hate all of you so fucking much."

"You love me," Chen gloats against his human's skin.  "You love me and you're mine forever."

"You'd better fucking make it worth my while," Minseok threatens, but he wraps his arms around Chen's slender waist, hooking his chin over his demon's shoulder, nose brushing against the leather of an unfurled wing.  He closes his eyes, breathing in the spicy scent of Chen's bodywash, feeling warm skin beneath his palms, sensing his demon's delight across the link like champagne, bubbly and intoxicating.

Chen's hands are deftly working their way into and under Minseok's fancy clothing, undoing buttons and un-tucking shirttails.  "This fucking tie," Minseok growls, because if Chen is going to dishevel him, he could at least get rid of the hated bow.

Chen growls, too, as he remembers the Temptress' flippant comment.  "You're _my_ present, Minseokkie," he snarls, practically ripping the offending piece of satin from the human's neck.  "Only I get to unwrap you."

"Only you," Minseok agrees, more than a little relieved the succubus queen didn't demand to taste Minseok like every other fucking demon seems to want to do.  

With the bowtie gone, Chen's hands have managed to open Minseok's button-down shirt enough to expose his chest and shoulders, warm hands gliding over smooth skin, occasionally brushing over the flat gold chain around Minseok's neck that is ostensibly providing him with protection against demons who wish him harm.  It's stylish and comfortable, and once it absorbed his body heat, the jewelry is barely even noticeable against his skin.  The smooth links--cleverly shaped like the outlines of apples, perennial symbol of temptation--rest nicely against his collarbones, invisible under a collared shirt but not loose enough to bounce around too much during physical activity.  He's been assured that unlike normal necklaces, the chain can't be used to choke him or otherwise cause him physical harm, but Minseok hates it anyway.  It's clearly a reminder of his servitude, and whenever he remembers it's there, his fingers itch to take it off.  

Too bad he fucking can't.

But its presence seems to please his overprotective demon, who traces the links with his fingers and his lips before pulling away to grin at his human.  "You shut her down so hard," Chen gloats.  "When she tried to seduce you with my form."

"Of course I did," Minseok huffs.  "I don't care how fucking powerful she is, she could never replace you.  She can steal your looks and your voice but she could never replicate who you truly are.  She couldn't mimic all those foreign songs you know from all your centuries of traveling the world, she'd never hold her wing between my face and the sunbeam sneaking between the curtains so I can get a bit more sleep, she doesn't know how you sound when we're moving together in the dark.  And I bet she's fucking terrible at making coffee."  Minseok has amended his perfect, boring partner fantasy--the good fucking coffee is non-negotiable.

The demon chuckles.  "I bet you'd have agreed to feed me forever for good coffee alone," he teases.

Minseok releases his hold on Chen's waist long enough to shrug his jacket and shirt down his arms to the floor, grabbing two handfuls of ass once his torso is free.  "Too bad for both of us I thought I could out-bargain a demon," Minseok mourns as he pulls Chen's pelvis against his own.  "Making you love me was a fucking terrible idea."

"I thought so, too, at first," Chen smirks, bucking against Minseok's hips as his nails make tracks down the human's back.  "But now I'm having so much fun making you crazy."

"I'll show you fucking crazy," Minseok growls.  "Where are those fucking clothespins?  Or better yet, I think I have some big fucking binder clips in my office."

Taking hold of Chen's wrist, Minseok strides toward his study, stepping out of his undone trousers on the way much to the demon's amusement.  The surface of his desk is nice and clear as usual, so he presses the laughing demon's chest against it, leaving plenty of space between his hips and the polished wood.  He tugs those immodest pants off that shapely rump, then knocks Chen's legs apart once they're free of the fabric.  The demon's spade-tipped tail curls around Minseok's arm, but he won't be distracted from the heavy sac hanging between Chen's legs.

"Stay," he bids his familiar with a swat on his irresistible rump, then pulls out the desk drawer where he keeps his small office supplies.  Sure enough, there's a nearly-new box of heavy binder clips, and Minseok wastes no time in attaching them all to Chen's undercarriage.  Most of them end up on his scrotum, of course, with all that stretchy skin, but he does manage to clip a few to the skin of Chen's dick.  The demon yelps and grunts as his human attaches clip after clip, and when he's done, Minseok stands back to evaluate his work.

It looks oddly like Chen's junk is being devoured by a swarm of black and silver butterflies, wings quivering every time the demon shifts his weight.  Grinning at the memory of how the clothespins didn't seem so bad after a while until being jostled reminded his nerves they were being pinched, Minseok pulls open the rest of his desk drawers in search of suitable supplies.  He comes up with a box of paperclips, and inspiration flows freely after that.

When Chen's breathing has evened out in a way that tells Minseok the pinched areas have probably gone numb, the budding sadist enacts his plan.  First, he bounces his hips, still clad in boxer briefs, against the demon's lovely ass, smirking at the yelp this action produces as the heavy clips tug on sensitive skin.  Then, he uses twisted-open paperclips to hang yet more weight from his familiar's aching flesh.  A ball of rubber bands.  A brass letter opener.  A full-sized pair of scissors.  And so many commemorative pens, heavy and wide-barreled.  

Chen yips as each new weight is attached, but he downright wails when Minseok stands once again behind him, rocking against him experimentally and making everything beneath Chen bob and sway.

"You're supposed to love me, Minseokkie," Chen complains as Minseok tugs his erection free from his underwear and lines himself up.

"And you're supposed to not sell me to demon queens," Minseok responds, feeling the weight of the wide gold chain around his neck.  

"I just want you to be safe," Chen pants as Minseok presses himself inside with minimal lube to ease his way.

"And I just want you to let me run my own fucking life," Minseok growls, setting a brutal pace that causes all the ornaments dangling from Chen's tender bits to jangle together satisfactorily.

"Oh fuck, Minseokkie, it fucking hurts so fucking much!" Chen yells, and the link is glowing with the demon's pain. 

However, it's eclipsed by searing lust and an oddly-pleasing sense of pride and ownership, so Minseok continues to pound away.

"You fucking love it," Minseok growls.  "Don't you dare jizz on my desk."

The demon's whine indicates he was about to do just that, but he manages to hold off with his amazing incubus powers as Minseok hammers his prostate without mercy.  The jangling and clacking his thrusts are causing below Chen's junk is a strangely pleasant counterpoint to the demon's yelps and Minseok's own moans, and soon he's emptying his balls into his demon's hot little ass.  

Minseok grinds his hips hard against Chen's ass, forcing his satisfaction as deep as he can into the demon's heat, grunting at the feeling of ownership and dominance and control the whole scenario grants his unsettled spirit.  Chen is his, happy to cooperate with any of the human's whims during sex at least even if he seems to actively subvert Minseok's desires in all other arenas.  He knows Chen is happy, is so fucking turned on, wants to come so fucking hard because the link carries each glowing emotion straight to Minseok's own soul. 

Chen is right--Minseok would never treat him like this if he didn't have irrefutable proof that he loves it so fucking much.  Minseok's moral compass seems to be spinning wildly out of control these days, but the compass of his heart--and his dick--always point right to Chen.  Minseok loves him so fucking much and he pumps that overwhelming feeling down the link as he pumps the last of his load into his familiar.

"Clench," Minseok commands when he's caught his breath, slowly pulling out of the demon that drives him insane.  "Don't you fucking dare make a mess in here."

Chen grumbles but obeys, flexing that perfect ass as Minseok stands him up, office supplies still dangling from his abused genitalia.  Minseok kneels, grinning up at the distressed expression on Chen's face, because they both know that taking the clips off is going to hurt way worse than putting them on in the first place.

"Minseokkie," Chen pants, still hard, arousal zinging across the link despite the pout he's attempting to give his human.

"Don't let demon queens put my nuts in a vice next time," Minseok admonishes, but as he removes the first clip he takes Chen's cock into his mouth, sliding the demon's yelp into a moan.

He continues to periodically remove the clips as he sucks, saving the heaviest for last.  He waits until the link throbs with the demon's need to come, then unclamps the last binder clip as he engulfs Chen's cock, hollowing his cheeks and sucking hard.

Chen screams through his orgasm, filling Minseok's throat as he drains the human's energy, folding forward and toppling both of them to the floor.  They lay there in a heap on the rug for several gasping minutes, fingers intertwined, lips against cheeks and foreheads and necks and lips.

 

"How long are you planning to be pissed at me for saving your life?" Chen murmurs after he's cleaned them both up and helped Minseok to bed, draping a wing and a leg over the human's boneless body.

"How long do I have to wear this stupid collar?" Minseok replies, hating how the stupid apple-shaped links stick to his sweaty skin.

"How long do I have to wear these stupid nipple rings?"  Chen shifts against his side so the metal cubes dent Minseok's flesh.

Minseok's irritation is pierced by guilt and then shame.  "Irony is such a fucking pain in my fucking ass."

"I don't think that's irony.  I think that's poetic justice."

"Still fucking annoying.  And totally an unfair comparison, because I could let you take the piercings out and nothing would change except my sense of satisfaction whenever I see your bare chest.  I fucking  _can't_  take this stupid chain off even if I wanted to risk demonic assassination."

"I'm glad," Chen says.  "It's totally worth it to keep you safe.  Plus it looks good on you.  Compliments your skin tone, accentuates your buff physique, draws attention to the collarbones I really like to bite."

"It's a fucking string of poisoned apples," Minseok gripes.  "I'm still not entirely sure that not dying is worth selling my soul to a demon queen."

"It is to me," Chen says.  "And you haven't sold your soul, just your services.  Mostly my services, actually.  You get protection, funding for people who need it, and I'll be steadily decreasing the number of demons running amok in your precious city while succubi suck the vitality out of corrupt misogynistic scum.  Besides the fact that you feel icky about it and the Temptress left her options open for the future, you don't have much to complain about."

Minseok huffs, still not sure the compromise of his morals is worth it.  This deal isn't so bad, but the next deal the Temptress proposes will probably sound just as reasonable while being even more shady.  It's only going to get worse, and Minseok doesn't need the stress of worrying about it on top of dealing with his job.  He's still behind on paperwork, and they're still following up on the attempted sting at the club.  No further murders have occurred, but the Chief Inspector wasn't the only one to witness an obvious drug deal, so now they're investigating whether the club is merely a convenient setting for such things or if the management or employees are somehow involved.  And now he's going to have to share his consultant with a demon queen, depriving him of both practical help and personal support.  

He's pulled out of his spiraling funk by a noise that sounds vaguely like a bird trying to throw up.  Minseok doesn't have the energy to suddenly sit up and look around for an avian intruder, which is lucky because it prevents him from looking silly in response to what turns out to be Chen's phone.  The demon has grabbed the pink-enclosed device, unlocking it with a fingerprint in response to the avian noise.

"The fuck is your phone squawking?"

"It's Ru's text alert--when we worked together for the first time, we were both summoned as birds, so that's how we'd get each other's attention discretely."  He grins over at Minseok, link lighting up with satisfaction.  "I'll tell you about it sometime if you like--it was actually the most fun I'd ever had before you.  But first, you probably want to see this."

He holds his phone out for Minseok, who struggles to focus sleepy eyes on the text message and accompanying image.

_A little bird told me_ _you may be interested in knowing about the House's newest client,_  the message reads, above what is obviously a still from a security feed inside a very familiar-looking elevator.  Minseok hadn't seen any sign of a camera while he was in there, but that's obviously the point.  

The elevator is occupied by two people, a male and a female.  The male is slouched against the elevator wall, supporting himself with an elegant cane while the female kneels in front of him, gauzy pink robe insufficient to conceal Hello Kitty's face on the back of her schoolgirl panties.  The man's head is thrown back in pleasure, giving the camera a clear view of Minseok's least favorite face.

Minseok smiles.

"Okay, I'll admit it.  Partnering with the Temptress at least made hauling that human sphincter and his stupid fucking foot off that mountain totally worth it.  If I'd have let him die up there, I'd never get to throw his supposedly-untouchable ass in jail for soliciting sex from a minor."

"I'm sure he knows she's not actually a minor," Chen laughs.  "His injury and lack of living cohorts must have driven him to seek out ready-made companionship instead of summoning his own."

"And yet, he can't prove she isn't a minor.  Poor trafficked little thing without parents or an ID, I'm sure, but the jury will never be convinced she's of age."

"I hear jail is a dangerous place for people who hurt kids," Chen chuckles.  

"I'm going to make Seoul a dangerous place for people who hurt kids," Minseok declares, tugging his infuriating, beloved familiar back down on top of him with the last of his energy. 

He can still be the noble child-saving Chief Inspector, even if he's using demonic stand-ins for actual victims.  _Especially_ if he's using demonic stand-ins--he'd feel sick instead of satisfied if the image Lu sent depicted an actual child.  And Chen's probably right that their favorite Assemblyman knows exactly who--or what--he's acting out his sick fantasy with, but since Minseok can't arrest him for trying to hurt the girls he helped kidnap and traumatize, he's more than content to arrest his ass for this.  In the morning.  When Minseok can do things like keep his eyes open.  And stand up.  Because someone's made him really fucking good coffee.

"I told you it was worth it," Chen murmurs into Minseok's hair.

"Still making you keep the piercings," Minseok mumbles, enjoying Chen's fond annoyance across the link as he drifts off.


	18. Pawful Ass-embly

Warm lips on Minseok's temple prod him from sleep, migrating to his mouth when he smiles in response.  Not yet ready to open his eyes and greet another day, he lets his demon nibble gently on his lips, responding drowsily to his familiar's attentions.

With a playful growl, Minseok rolls, throwing an arm and a leg over the lithe body cuddled up against him, ignoring the way apple-shaped links shift against his skin as he moves.  Laughing, Chen allows himself to be tugged beneath the still-shut-eyed man, sliding a wing and an arm under Minseok's body until the demon is flat on his back, his human draped over his chest.

"Good morning to you, too," the sternum beneath Minseok rumbles.

Minseok blindly locates Chen's lips and presses his own against them for a long, delicious moment.  "You're so fucking lucky," he murmurs without creating space between their mouths.

"I'm lucky?" Chen asks.

"Yes," Minseok declares, prying his eyes open to see his familiar's smile.  "The luckiest fucking demon that ever stalked the abyss."

"Really."  Chen kisses him again.  "You sure it's not the other way around?"

"Hmm?" Minseok hums against the demon's grin.

"I think you're the luckiest human to ever walk the planet."

"Mmm." Minseok can't get enough of Chen's clever mouth.  "Why is this?"

"Because I made you coffee," Chen laughs.  "And you seem to need it to survive."

"You need me to survive," Minseok retorts, but he's already lifting his torso, palms against Chen's chest, looking around for the coffee he's suddenly very aware he can smell.

"Which is why I made you coffee," Chen explains.  

Minseok finds the mug of life-giving liquid in the usual spot on the nightstand next to him.  He braces himself on one arm so he can claim his morning treat, slurping the perfect crema with a contented sigh.

Chen laughs, gently rolling his hips up against Minseok's pelvis—not enough to disrupt his enjoyment of his coffee, but just enough to draw attention to Minseok's current condition.  "Living out your wildest fantasy, Minseokkie?"

Minseok scowls, setting the mug back on the nightstand.  "First, certain things just happen to guys in the morning, ChenChen—don't flatter yourself."  He grinds the thing in question against the chuckling demon.  "Second, drinking coffee during sex seems particularly impractical considering the kind of sex we like to have.  And third, give me some credit—I have far wilder fantasies than that."

"Do you want me to mimic your appearance so you can literally go fuck yourself?" Chen asks, link crackling with amusement even though his face is innocently blank.

Minseok growls, attacking his familiar with biting kisses to the neck, rolling his naked hips down against the bare body beneath him.  He sucks his retaliation beneath Chen's jaw as he fumbles for the lube, popping open the top with one hand and shifting his lower body enough to expose the demon's thighs.

"Just for that, you get to lie there and take it while I demonstrate who exactly I like to fuck," Minseok growls, drizzling the lube in the demon's lap, enjoying the whine when the cold liquid hits warm skin.  He closes the bottle and tosses it aside in favor of rubbing his cock through the slick and guiding it between Chen's thighs.

Settling his weight back on both elbows, Minseok devours his familiar's smart little mouth while setting an aggressive rhythm with his hips.  He hums his pleasure into the kiss as his cock slides between Chen's legs, providing Minseok with plenty of stimulation and the demon with very little.

"Humans are so cruel," Chen complains, but he's laughing as his hands and wings enclose Minseok in strength and shadow.

"Shut up, mouthy brat," Minseok growls, chasing his pleasure more vigorously.

"You like it when I'm mouthy," Chen laughs.  "Especially when my mouth is on your—"

Minseok grunts and shudders his release, adding to the slick between Chen's thighs.  He rests his forehead against the demon's shoulder, panting through his recovery as Chen chuckles beneath him, warm hands kneading along Minseok's spine.

When he can see clearly and support his own weight properly again, Minseok levers himself up to reclaim his coffee, softening cock still lodged between Chen's thighs.

"Good little familiar," he coos over the rim of the ceramic mug.  "Coffee and an orgasm—your master's favorite way to wake up."

"You're a terrible demonist," Chen chides, a stupid amount of fondness gushing through their link.

"Am I?" Minseok smiles down at his delightful demon.

"The fucking worst," Chen smiles back.

 

Spending time with Chen in the mornings is nice, because Minseok doesn't get to see nearly as much of his familiar during the day.  No longer is the faded green sofa occupied by a demon murdering zombies with katanas on his phone.  Instead, Minseok's demon is out murdering the Dark Lady's minions with a wakizashi in real life.

Minseok snorts at the thought— _real life_.  Who would ever believe such a thing?  Yet there is a disturbingly long list of demons the Temptress wants ousted from the city—Minseok had gotten the idea that there were a few demons wandering around Seoul, but evidently, there are tens of thousands of them, maybe as many as one percent of the city's total population.  Over the last several months, Chen has been happily sending one or two a day back to the abyss, and one lucky night he bounced home to proudly announce he'd gotten a full dozen playing cards in the secret back room of a club.

The Chief Inspector has mixed feelings about this.  For one thing, Chen really seems to enjoy the work, gleefully kissing Minseok goodbye in the mornings as he straps on the smaller sword under the dramatically-swirling black trenchcoat he'd demanded Minseok buy for him.  The link always tugs at Minseok's chest as his familiar flits off to do his murderous business, stealing random faces and voices as he charms or intimidates or tricks his way into places he shouldn't be to kill someone whose body turns to dust and therefore requires no disposing of aside from a gust of wind or a vacuum cleaner.  Job done, he often stashes the coat and sword in Minseok's car in the parking garage of the police station before he swaggers inside to flop on the neglected sofa and grin at the Chief Inspector, smug and satisfied and glowing with contentment as he waits for the human to finish up his own duties.

It's a little disturbing how much Minseok's cat enjoys hunting the local wildlife.

But for another thing, he's not killing actual  _people_.  It seems that demons tend to merely use the humans around them, not form attachments or develop relationships, so not a single missing person report has been filed.  Nobody seems to notice or care when the lowlifes start disappearing from flophouses and cheap motels and the secret back rooms of clubs.  And often, the tip-offs Chen receives via text each morning on his pink kitty-cat phone also reveal other illicit activities—for example, it turned out that groups of demons weren't the only ones enjoying illegal gambling in the secret back room of a certain club, leading to arrests, convictions, property seizure, and—something the Chief Inspector is sure is not a coincidence—a corporation called Scarlet Sagwa has been buying up the shut-down entertainment properties.

But Scarlet Sagwa has evidently also been making massive donations to orphanages, homeless shelters, women's health organizations, anti-trafficking foundations, and various other charities that help underprivileged folks, those that might see prostitution as the easiest (or only) way to feed themselves.  And there's that whole thing with Assemblyman Lee.  He'd been arrested, and while his lawyers kept him out of jail, he'd been forced to resign and publicly apologize and make donations of his own to programs that kept underage girls (and boys) off the streets.

No matter how much good is being done, Minseok still feels dirty about the whole thing.  And he feels even dirtier whenever he showers, slathering soap beneath the links of the chain that keeps him bound to the Temptress for the rest of his immortal life.  But time passes whether he likes it or not, and Minseok has to sleep in the bed he's made.

 

Chuseok has come and gone, and Minseok had decided that if he's stuck with Chen for the rest of his life, he should at least introduce him to his family.  So he'd packed his familiar off to Guri for a week, where Chen (of course) charmed his way into everyone's hearts.  Minseok had introduced Chen as his "friend and flatmate," explaining that his family was "foreign" and lived "out of the country" so he'd brought him home so he wouldn't be alone.  He'd only obfuscated their relationship for the benefit of his extended family—Minseok's parents are fine with his preferences, and they welcomed Chen into their home and hearts as easily as they had his sister's boyfriend (now fiance).

His father had clapped Chen on the back and told him, "My son is a good man, but he hasn't been any fun since we sent him off to the academy."

To which Chen had smiled widely and assured Minseok's dad, "He's fun when he's with me."  He'd then regaled Minseok's amused family with the stories of the roller coaster and the video games, to their delight and pretended disbelief.

Chen had also complimented his mother's cooking and let his dad talk his ear off about sports, and he'd even coaxed Minseok to indulge his sister and his soon-to-be brother-in-law and play various traditional games.  He'd gently mocked Minseok when he was doing poorly, to which Minseok had laughingly responded, and the two of them had tussled in a relaxed, family-friendly version of their usual banter all week.

"I like him, Minseok-ah," his mother had said as they'd said their goodbyes, smiling at her son knowingly.  "He brings out your playful side.  You're so serious, so responsible—I'm glad you have someone around to remind you how to enjoy life."

"I like him, too," Minseok had smiled shyly, laden with gifts of delicious food.  "Most of the time," he had quickly amended in response to Chen's too-smug smile.

Minseok had promised to bring Chen around for the new year, and then they had driven home, the demon singing the whole way like usual.  It had all been so domestic and lovely and the link had glowed with affection and amusement the whole week, even though Minseok had refused to feed Chen at all while they were under his parents' roof.

He'd made sure to feed his familiar well before and after, though, and the diabolical beast had thoroughly enjoyed tormenting the fuck out of Minseok with all of his toys.  More office supplies had been abused, clothespins were employed as nipple clamps, and Chen's name was once again sunburnt into Minseok's skin, though this time on his ass where no one would ever see it (and where it stung a little every time the Chief Inspector sat down for a week).

 

But Minseok had healed mark-free as promised, and today is another special day.   Not really for Korea as a whole, but for Minseok's demon—and probably for many of the rest of Seoul's demon population.

Which explains why his familiar is giddy as a schoolboy when Minseok finally agrees to call it quits for the day, bouncing and skipping and tugging at Minseok's hand to hustle him past Detective Do's raised eyebrow and Detective Byun's rectangular grin.

"We'll look for you in Itaewon!" Byun waves, and Chen responds enthusiastically in kind before dragging Minseok out the door and home to get ready.

Tonight is Halloween, and in the foreign quarter where those that celebrate the Western holiday tend to conglomerate, there's going to be a huge party.  Detective Byun always goes every year, loving the excuse to dress up in suggestively scary (or scarily suggestive) outfits, but this year, he's got a posse and a theme.  He's been continuing to see Mr. Park and has formed quite an attachment to the man's daughters, so this year, Itaewon will be defended by Iron Man and Captain America, backed up by tiny versions of the Black Widow and the Scarlet Witch.

As soon as Chen had heard about this, he'd informed his human that they were also attending the massive Halloween bash.

"You're going to be a catboy," Chen had declared with a smirk.  "I think you'd look cute with ears and a tail."

Detective Byun had enthusiastically agreed.

Minseok had pursed his lips.  "Why does your fun always seem to come at the expense of my dignity?" he'd asked, but Chen and Byun were deep in discussion about where to get animatronic costume bits and which makeup worked the best with latex prosthetics.

Evidently, Byun takes costuming very seriously.

But as Minseok—or as Chen insists on calling him, Nyanseok—looks at himself in the mirror, he has to admit that the diabolical duo did a decent job.  More than decent, actually—Minseok feels well-qualified to eat kimbap in someone's living room and freak them right the fuck out.

Except he looks far more feline than Chen had when he'd so dramatically announced his presence in the Chief Inspector's life.  Minseok has fuzzy black ears sticking up through his fluffy black hair, and a black slinky tail protrudes through the back of his pants.  They're both controlled by sensors in the tips of the fingers of his black kitty-cat gloves, so that touching certain fingers to his thumb will perk or flatten his ears or twitch or undulate his tail.  

The gloves also transform his hands into adorable paws, complete with little pink "beans" and soft pink paw pads, ferocious feline nails not included because evidently Nyanseok is "way too sweet to scratch anyone."  He also has a perfect pink nose on the end of a black latex snout that's fucking glued to his skin, delicate whiskers that protrude from said snout, and—the part that startles Minseok the most whenever he catches a glimpse of himself in a reflective surface—bright gold contact lenses with slit feline pupils.

He'd put his foot down when Chen had wanted to paint his face entirely black, wanting to be able to rest his face in his hands without smearing dark makeup everywhere.  He'd limited the demon to lining his eyes thickly and painting his lips black below the feline prosthetic, extending the corners up in a curve to mimic Chen's own Cheshire grin.

The rest of his outfit is sexy black clubwear, featuring skinny jeans and a long-sleeved top that's made of microfiber panels alternating with silk ones, the appealing textures basically an invitation to the world to pet the kitty.  His gold chain has been further transformed into a fucking collar by the addition of a heart-shaped pink tag with _Nyanseok_ etched onto one side and the demon's name and phone number engraved on the back.

"You've made me into a furry," Minseok complains to his unrepentant familiar.

"You're my little sex kitten," Chen corrects.

"I'm not sure that's better."

"Suck it up, Princeling," Chen laughs.  "Spend a night in my shoes."

"You don't have a fucking snout," Minseok points out.

"Kitties have  _muzzles_ , not snouts," Chen informs him.  "Muzzles are cute, and yours is the cutest."

He leans in to nuzzle Nyanseok's pretty pink nose.

Minseok hisses at him.

 

Chen, of course, has no undignified costume.  He just has his swirling black demon-hunting trenchcoat, now cleverly modified by one of Byun's cosplay pals to have a zipper-closeable opening in the back to allow his "costume" to emerge properly.

Minseok scowls at his familiar in the elevator.  He's so fucking smug, standing there with his horns out and his tail lashing between the long panels of the coat.  Of course he'd chosen one with a slit all the way up to his hips.  And—the cherry on the fucking sundae—his fucking wings, held half-furled and immobile to mimic the costume they absolutely are not.

"I hate you so fucking much right now," Minseok snarls.

"Aww, do I need to pet my pretty kitty?"

"I will bite you so fucking hard."

"Ooh, you promise?"

Pressing his black-lined lips together to avoid giving the obnoxious demon more material to mock him with, Minseok leads the way across the lobby, triggering his mobile ears to flatten and his clever tail to thrash.  This only amuses Chen further, of course, and he crows his appreciation as they make their way to the train station.  Minseok isn't driving tonight, because Chen's wings don't fit well in a car.

And also because Minseok plans to get really fucking drunk.

According to Byun, this Halloween event includes a pub crawl, with prizes (generally alcohol) awarded for best costume in various categories.  He said the animal category is pretty standard, and is usually dominated by cute girls in bunny ears or kitten whiskers.

Nyanseok is so going to kick their asses, and profit from his abuse by his familiar by raking in a fuckton of free drinks.

A few stops down the subway line, they're joined by Oh and Taozi, and the junior detective—dressed up like Sherlock Holmes in his own long coat and a deerstalker hat, giant magnifying glass at the ready—absolutely cannot deal with his boss's altered appearance.  He spends the train ride folded in half or hiding his laughing face behind his roommate (boyfriend?), who has dressed himself up as a very convincing vampire, red satin-lined high-collared cloak and all.  Evidently long, swirling black outerwear is the way to go, and yet Minseok is standing there in his grope-me shirt.

"C-can I—" the rookie starts, extending a tentative hand.

"Absolutely not."  Minseok spits.  "But thanks for asking, at least."

The next stop brings their total to six, as Toshio and a Biblical shepherd join their motley crew.

"Totally unfair," Minseok protests at his favorite detective.  "You're just wearing what you wore on that sting!"

Do shrugs.  "So are you," he points out.

Minseok glowers at him with his yellow kitty irises.

Do drops his chin and returns the gaze from terrifyingly-smoky eyes.

Minseok shivers, turning his attention to the shepherd.  The holy doctor is wearing long robes in shades of brown, complete with a rectangle of fabric draped over his head and secured with a leather braid that encircles his skull.  He's got a long shepherd's crook and is carrying a fluffy toy lamb under one arm.

"I didn't know priests really did the Halloween thing," Minseok comments.

"It's All Hallows Eve—it was our holiday first before the costumes and candy."  Father Zhang smiles.  "Besides, dressing up is fun.  And this little shepherd is planning to talk drunk people out of their keys and drive them home before hopping back on the subway.  Maybe I'll have fewer new occupants of my morgue tomorrow this way."

And so three terrifying nightmares and one tall, dashing literary detective, plus a happy shepherd and a disgruntled cat, stride forth into the streets of Itaewon.  They find Byun and his cadre of superheroes pretty quickly—Mr. Park's costume has lights and sounds and has drawn quite a crowd.  His daughters are happily eating street food with an adoring Byun, but as soon as they see Minseok, they go absolutely nuts.

With cries of "Kitty!" and "So cuuuute!" they glue themselves to Minseok, who can't help but smile in the face of such adorable enthusiasm.  They shriek with excitement when he shows them how his ears and tail move, and they pat Nyanseok nicely on his head and shoulders.

"Hey!" Byun pouts.  "I'm a superhero—surely Baekkie-oppa is cooler than a cat."

"No, Kitty-oppa is the best!" 

Minseok grins at them.  They're adorable in their costumes, wigs askew, faces flushed with excitement.  He indulges them in a little kitty dance, paws near his face, meowing softly for them, and shoots his detective a wicked grin when they squeal with delight.

"Everyone loves Kitty-oppa," Byun admits with a smile.

But Kitty-oppa still wants to imbibe some adult beverages, preferably for free since he's paid through the latex-enhanced nose for various mechanical animal parts.  So he eventually relinquishes the girls to the care of the Captain and his metallic companion, returning to the scarily-dressed members of the group who are hanging a bit back from the girls, not wanting to scare them.

"Where are Father Zhang and the rookie?" he asks, wanting backup in the cute department.  He feels much more ridiculous standing next to these monsters than he had when he was playing with the girls.

"Father went off to shepherd lost souls, and the noodle is being a good rookie and fetching us snacks," Do reports.

Minseok perks up at this, remembering to trigger his ears and tail to reflect his elevated mood.  Do rolls his eyes at the display, but Taozi and Chen coo at him.  Then a thought causes Minseok to flatten his mobile ears.

"You didn't make him pay, did you?" he asks his favorite detective.

"Of course not," Do says with another eye roll.  "I know how to be a good hyung.  I even act like one occasionally."

Minseok nods his approval, then flips his ears back up when the good rookie returns, distributing various food on skewers to the group.  Minseok eyes his, trying to decide if he's offended or amused that the rookie presented him with fried fishcakes.

"Cats like fish," Oh says with a mischievous little smile.

Minseok curls a lip at the taller man, but he eats his designated snack without further protest.  He'll need something in his stomach before he starts pouring beer down his throat, and fried food is always a good choice in that regard.

Nyanseok doesn't actually win first place in any of the costume contests, because the coordinators and judges are the mostly-male owners of whatever pub is hosting the mini events.  Therefore, the scantily-clad bunny girls always end up with the top spot, but Minseok is often chosen as the runner-up.  He still wins more than enough drink vouchers to keep him comfortably buzzed, sharing the extras with his quietly-grateful favorite detective and his smilingly-appreciative rookie.

Except that the rookie evidently can't hold his liquor.  Literally—it's not that he's too drunk, it's just that he apparently has a bladder the size of a walnut.  So a cat is waiting on a bench outside a pub with Toshio, each sipping one of Minseok's well-earned beers while they wait for a detective to deduce their location.  They're tipsy and people-watching, pointing out good costumes and terrible ones, when something interesting catches Minseok's eye. 

A tall man, dressed in a gaudy circus outfit, has set up some folding chairs and standing hoops beneath a streetlight.  He has a gold satin rope in one hand that he's holding like a whip, and he's using the floppy non-weapon to gesture at some adorable little beasties.

"A lion tamer," Minseok chuckles.  "That's really clever."

The "lions" are actually small poodles, two tan and one white, long hair teased fluffy around their necks to create a mane and the rest of the body clipped short except for a tuft on the end of each "lion's" tail.  The tamer gestures with his "whip" and the dogs sit on the chairs, pawing the air ferociously (adorably).  Then he has them jump through the hoops one at a time before sitting on their chairs again.

"Poodles are really clever," Do says, following Minseok's gaze.  "That's why I have one.  They're really easy to train."

Minseok smiles, watching the dogs make a pyramid, the smaller white "lion" balancing on the other two.  When the man steps forward to praise and reward his little beasties, his handsome face catches the light, and Minseok realizes he looks rather familiar.

"I think that's my vet," he laughs.

"Your vet?" Do echoes.  He seems especially fascinated by the performance.

"Yeah—where I took Chen."

"You mean Chingu?"

"Yeah—Chingu."  

"Hmm," Do says.  "Meokmul and I are looking for a new vet."

Minseok may be drunk enough to forget that he's supposed to have an actual cat instead of a bratty demon, but he's not too drunk to see the unusually-soft look in his favorite detective's eyes.  "You should go talk to him, then," he encourages.  "He's really nice."

Do watches for a moment longer, then downs the rest of his beer.  "Okay," he agrees, standing up.  He moves purposefully toward the little circus, and Minseok is surprised at the steadiness of his gait.

Minseok is too far away to hear what they say to each other, but there's a lot of smiling and shoegazing and petting of dangerous lions.  Soft and suddenly missing his own dangerous beastie, Minseok pushes to his feet and follows the link to his heart's devilish delight. 

In the middle of the closed-off street, Taozi and Chen are having fun making people scream.  Taozi is slinking around with his cloak partway over his face only to reveal his fangs suddenly, while Chen favors standing stock-still, waiting until his victims are within a few meters before flipping the tips of his wings up in a mockery of how far they can actually spread.  He's really good at making the very-real wings look clumsy and mechanical and he's hardly moving his tail at all, but he still collects shrieks like children collect candy.  As Minseok wanders (a bit unsteadily) over to the duo, he catches snatches of conversation that lead him to believe that the two are competing to see who can earn the highest-pitched scream.

Minseok snorts.  "You boys are terrible."

"You mean terri- _fying_ ," Chen grins before slinking off to startle an approaching gaggle of sexy witches.

Not to be outdone, Taozi skulks into the shadows near some sexy nurses (why do all female costumes have to be sexy?), leaving Minseok alone in the middle of the street.  He watches the crowds pass for a moment, nodding at a smugly-grinning Lu who winks at Minseok as he strolls by, dressed in the cheesiest light-up devil horns and an elegant suit.  He has a tinsel-haloed angel hanging off each arm—probably succubi from the club—and Minseok is sure he's feeding very well tonight, indeed. 

Hell, he's probably passing out business cards.

The blatant soliciting makes Minseok frown, but he doesn't have much time to ruminate on his terrible life choices and the consequences thereof before a shadowy figure runs up and punches him right in the kidney.  He goes down hard with a strangled yelp—but so does his attacker.

"Fucking  _fuck_!" the assailant groans, clutching his own fist, and Minseok is pretty drunk but he's also pretty sure he sees electricity dance across the stranger's skin.

But then the stranger doesn't have skin or anything else, because Chen is suddenly crouching over a pile of dust in the street, wakizashi glinting green in the neon light from the bar signs.

"Oh, a demon.  That makes sense," Chen says as he stands up, secreting his sword back under his trenchcoat from whence it evidently came.  He bows dramatically to the applauding crowd who are sure they just witnessed some sort of stage magic.

It takes a few heartbeats for Minseok to react, because he's drunk and his kidney still fucking hurts and he just watched a man turn to dust in the middle of the street, but eventually his whirling mind discerns what's wrong with his familiar's sentence.

" _Oh_ , a demon?" he echoes.  "As in, 'I'm surprised this person I just stabbed happened to explode into dust instead of bleeding out in the gutter?'"

Furtive shame leaks down the link.  "Uh, are you alright, Minseokkie?  I don't smell your blood."

"Why would you smell my blood?" Minseok regains his feet so he can go over and kick his familiar in the shin.  "Chenny, you can't just fucking kill people unless you already know for sure ahead of time they're not human."

"Fuck that, he tried to fucking stab you."  Chen fishes a wicked-looking knife out of the pile of dust.  "I will end anyone who threatens you, demon or not."

Minseok's cozy buzz is quickly being obliterated by throbbing adrenaline.  "Why would a demon try to stab me?" he asks dumbly, because his thinking is still a bit sluggish.  "I fucking sold my soul so this wouldn't happen."

Chen shrugs, standing up and stepping closer to wrap his arm around his human.  "Guess they didn't get the memo.  But hey—we know for sure your pretty collar is more than just decoration."

Minseok's gloved paw lifts subconsciously to rest against the hated jewelry.  "He still attacked me," he murmurs.  "It fucking hurt."

"Minseokkie, he tried to ram a knife into your abdomen," Chen explains patiently.  "Instead of bleeding everywhere, you have a bruise.  The collar turned the blade and shocked your attacker—the Temptress evidently does not fuck around."

Minseok stares at the pile of dust in the street, letting his demon support some of his weight.  "Well.  Guess that means I can't give Lu a hard time for drumming up business."

Chen laughs.  "He should be so lucky as to get a hard time from you."

Purring, Minseok cuddles closer to his demon.  "I save all my hardness for you."

Chen makes a face and pushes him away, holding on to Minseok's elbow so the tipsy human won't end up on the ground again.  "I'm not into furries."

Minseok glares at him, then starts pawing at his laughing familiar's clothing.  "Where did you put that knife?  I don't believe it's really sharp—I should test it on some demon flesh."

"Are you guys getting frisky in the middle of the road?" Detective Do's voice comes from over Minseok's shoulder, equal parts amused and disgusted.

"Nope, I'm just trying to murder him," Minseok calls back.

"Oh, okay—carry on then."

 

When Chen finally escapes his human's grasp, Minseok wanders off again in search of more beer vouchers to restore his buzz.  The next pub offering a contest is packed, and when they call the animal-themed contestants up onto the stage, Minseok ends up next to a bunny-girl who looks disturbingly familiar.

"Fancy meeting you here," she purrs, sidling closer.

"This will go poorly for you," Minseok warns.  He's pretty damn sure he's talking to the succubus that tried to drag him out of the club, and he's absolutely sure that his surprise and wary suspicion have been sent like a bat-signal to his very own dark knight.

"Oh, but it doesn't  _have_  to," the beautiful woman leans into his personal space, batting long dark lashes at him, keeping her voice low.  "A  _virile_  human such as your handsome self could easily sustain  _two_  familiars.  Wouldn't you enjoy having a real woman in your bed for a change?"  

"Not even a little bit," Minseok informs her, smothering a smile as he feels his familiar's rapid approach through the link.

She frowns as she notices Chen shoving his way to the front of the crowd, lifting a brow at them both above arms crossed over his chest.  He doesn't storm the stage, though, evidently content to wait until the bunny girl wins the contest before murdering her in cold blood.  Minseok bows to the applause for the runner-up, graciously accepts a quartet of drink vouchers, trades one for a beer, then heads for the door.  If the succubus is smart, she'll go out the back, making Chen choose between the two of them.

But she's evidently stone dumb, because not only does she follow Minseok, but once he's away from the bright lights of the bar and down an abandoned side street, she grabs his arm.

And then squeaks well into dolphin territory and grabs her own arm, lightning sizzling over her skin.

"Oh good, she touched you," Chen says from behind them both.  "Now I have an excuse."  Minseok can hear the sound of the wakizashi cut air as the icubus advances.

"I told you this wouldn't go well," Minseok says mournfully.  Watching demons die really sours his stomach, and he just got this nice fresh beer.

The succubus whirls around, both hands in the air, bunny ears swaying.  "I just want to talk," she informs Chen.

"Except you seem to have a fundamental problem understanding language.  Or is it just a problem understanding ownership?"  Chen lets the moonlight caress the blade in his hands.  "What part of 'mine' did you not get the first time around?"

The bunny-succubus (succu-bunny?) continues to hold her hands palm out in a placating stance, but she's still standing between Chen and his human, and she's definitely going to die of stupidity if she keeps doing that.  Sighing, Minseok moves around her towards his murderous familiar, noting the tension down the link melting into a dull buzz once he arrives at Chen's side.  Minseok snorts, then steals a page from kitty-Chen's book and rubs his cheekbone on his familiar's shoulder, staking a feline claim before taking a sip of his beer.

Chen doesn't take his eyes off the silently-pleading succu-bunny, but amusement dances down the link at Minseok's actions before settling into fond contentment.  

"Don't get demon dust in my beer," Minseok mumbles, lips attaching once again to the rim of the glass stein.  

Chen snorts.  "Tell me why I shouldn't send you straight back to your mistress," he says to the impossibly-beautiful woman.

"Because I want to defect," the succu-bunny says.  "I like it here, I haven't killed anyone since we met in the club, and I know things.  I can be useful to you."

"I doubt that," Chen dismisses.  "Besides, you're specifically on the elimination list."

"But I'm on your side!  I'm supposed to seduce your little toy so an invidius can stab him, but I'm telling you instead of doing it, aren't I?"

Chen yawns.  "Already took care of your clumsy partner, and you just admitted to planning to kill my master.  You're not exactly inspiring amnesty."

"Oh.  Well, I—"

Chen cocks his head as if listening to something, then twisted grin slithers across his face.  "I'll give you a five-second head start," he allows.  "One... Two..."

The succu-bunny squeaks, then scampers for the safety of the bar.  Chen follows slowly, still counting.  He gets to five right as she gets to the end of the side street, just in time for a red-eyed, bloody-fanged vampire to burst around the corner, hissing aggressively.

The succu-bunny's shriek is stratospheric.

She stumbles backwards.  Chen's sword swings out lazily.  None of the dust drifts in Minseok's direction, but he cups the rim of his beer protectively anyway.  Demon jizz is the only abyssal substance he'll allow to enter his body, thankyou _very_ much.

"Damn, that was at least a G7," Chen comments.  "I guess you win, Taozi."

"Yes!"  The vampire pumps his fist in the air.  "May I claim my reward now?"  He gives Chen a smug, devious look.

Chen sighs, shoulders slumping beneath his trenchcoat.  "Fiiine."

Taozi skips over, the world's most jubilant bloodsucker.  "DaeDae said you'd feed me if I won," he announces, dropping to one knee in front of Minseok and making himself as small and cute and praise-able as an oversized, eerie-eyed demon with fake blood all over his face can possibly be.

Minseok rolls his eyes over the rim of his beer stein.  "Why do you do this to yourself, ChenChen?" he calls.

"He insisted," Chen whines.  "And I didn't think he'd actually win."

"Well, he did.  Because he's amazing, and his costume is really well done, awe-inspiring but still very high-fashion..."

Minseok has to praise the imp louder than usual to be heard over the sound of Chen whacking his head against the steel post of a nearby streetlight.

 

Doctor Kim ("Please, call me Jongin") joins the group for late-night fried chicken as they reconnect before going home.  They sit at a table outside under the city glow as Mr. Park, delighted to have another non-cop to hang out with, makes all the introductions.

"...And Kim Taozi, the scary vampire with my daughter asleep on his lap, raps for us sometimes but mostly he does these really awesome wushu flips and stuff, gets the crowd really jazzed up.  And his cousin is Kim Chen, the creepy demon—he belongs to Chief Inspector Kim Minseok, or should I say Nyanseok, the cat holding my other sleepy daughter.  And the holy shepherd is Father Zhang Yixing, and then of course is Detective Oh Sehun—he's Taozi's roommate."

"Boyfriend," the junior detective corrects, feeding his vampire a piece of chicken since his arms are full of snoozing child.

"Ah, Taozi's boyfriend, then."  Mr. Park grins at Doctor Kim.  

The veterinarian laughs, prompting the "lions" at his feet to lift their heads briefly before settling back down, chins on paws, waiting for someone to drop a piece of chicken.

"I'm terrible with human names," Doctor Kim confesses.  "Plus none of you look like you usually do—I'm never going to remember all of you.  Except the Chief Inspector—I've already forgotten his name, but I remember he brought a cat in to see me a few times.  He calls it Chingu, but it doesn't seem to like him all that much."  The veterinarian's laugh is rolling and pleasant.

"Eh, the name was wishful thinking," Minseok admits.  "But he's good company, even if he is a jerk."

Doctor Kim laughs again.  "Have you dressed like him to win his favor?"

Minseok shrugs, trying not to disturb Yuna on his lap.  She kept insisting that she's older than her sister and therefore capable of staying up this late, but she trailed off mid-sentence several minutes ago and has been breathing deeply against his chest ever since.  "He did stare at me while I was getting ready."

Chen chuckles quietly, moving Minseok's chicken within reach of his one useable arm.  "What if he doesn't let you take the costume off?"

"I'm not wearing this to work," Minseok shoots his demon a look.  "I'd like at least a few of our colleagues to maintain a little respect for their Chief Inspector."

"We totally respect you," the rookie says, ever the good subordinate.

"Yeah," Byun chimes in, a rather in-subordinate look in his eye.  "It takes a real man to wear whiskers."

"Probably why Byun can't grow a moustache," Detective Do mutters into his chicken.

"Oh, and you can?" Byun retorts.

Do's eyes flick up, observing Byun from below his thick black eyebrows.  "Of course I could.  But our boss prefers me to look like I belong on the  _outside_  of the jail cell."

"As much as possible," Minseok agrees, grinning below his kitty nose.  

Mr. Park snorts.  "Most of you are failing at that goal tonight."

"Oh, come now," Father Zhang smiles.  "Most of us look perfectly tame.  Why, we have superheroes, a cat, and a nice detective."

"And three creepers," Byun points out.

"I don't know," Doctor Kim says.  "How creepy can a vampire really be if a child falls asleep on him?"

"Hey," Taozi protests, but he does so quietly, with a smile for the girl in his arms.  He and Mina had bonded almost immediately when he started working with her dad, but thankfully for everyone involved, she doesn't seem to recognize him as the "sad kitty man" that gave her milk—without the tell-tale ears, the drugs seem to have muddled Taozi's face in her mind. 

"So then who's creepier, our demon or our ghost?"

"The ghost," Taozi declares with a shudder.

"The demon," Father Zhang counters.  The vote ends up pretty split, until everyone turns expectantly to Doctor Kim to break the tie.

"Oh, man, way to put a guy on the spot," the veterinarian laughs.  But he looks back and forth between the two for a few moments, evidently taking his tiebreaker duties seriously.

"The demon," he finally says.  

Chen grins in triumph.  "Why?" he asks, voice full of polite curiosity.

"Because you're not wearing any makeup," Doctor Kim explains.  "I think you could be really intimidating even without the costume."

"Oh, he certainly can," Minseok verifies.  "But so can Do—we always have him play 'bad cop' for a reason."

The group erupts with smiles and chuckles, and it feels nice to sit and laugh and eat greasy food to absorb all the beer he's consumed.  Minseok may be an introvert, but he still enjoys socializing with his crew (and their assorted crushes, evidently) from time to time.  Still, like his favorite detective expressed the last time the two of them wore club outfits together, at this point Minseok can't wait to get home and wash his fucking face.

 

As soon as they get home, a smirking demon tries to pin Nyanseok against the door, but the human isn't having it.  He ducks under Chen's arm, robotic tail lashing, headed for the bathroom.

"Aw, c'mon, Nyanseokkie," Chen whines.  "I changed my mind about furries."

"I can't even kiss you properly with this fucking snout on," Minseok calls over his shoulder.  "Help me wash my face, then if you really want me to keep the ears and tail on, I will."  He snorts at himself in the mirror before bending over the counter to remove the contacts and place them in their case.  "It's the closest  _you'll_  ever get to being able to go fuck yourself, and I wouldn't want to deprive you of that special pleasure."

When Minseok straightens back up, his own dark, round-pupiled eyes are doubled in the mirror.

"Just for that, you'll be the catboy and I'll be the human," Minseok's own voice comes out of his doppelganger's mouth.

"Fuck, no," Minseok retorts.  

"But Minseokkie, don't you want to see the face you make when your familiar makes you come?"

Minseok grimaces at himself (both of them) in the mirror.  "I don't need to know how dopey I look."

"But you're so sexy and cute when you lose it for me, Minseokiki."

"No.  Nobody has a cute come-face, that's sort of the point.  Besides, I'd much rather watch your actual face go stupid for me."

Minseok's double pouts at him.  "You're no fun."

"Not everyone is a narcissist, Chenny," Minseok says, picking at the edge of the snout glued to his face.  "Pout at me with your own kitty lips and help me get this fucking snout off without taking the rest of my face with it."

Minseok's evil twin ducks below the counter, and when he stands back up he's wearing Chen's signature smirk once again (thank fuck) and holding a little bottle in his hand.  "You're supposed to use this remover—don't pick at it, you'll hurt your delicate princeling skin."

Grumbling about disrespect, Minseok begrudgingly sits on the bathroom counter and lets his familiar dab his face with the pungent-smelling solvent.

"Quit whining—at least the sticky stuff isn't all over your junk."

Minseok winces at the memory.  "I still can't believe you let Kibum do that to you."

"It's a shame to tuck away such fine equipment, Sweetie, but unfortunately fashion often demands we suffer to achieve the desired aesthetic," Kibum's voice informs him from Chen's lips.

Minseok winces again as Chen begins slowly peeling the prosthetic away from his face.  "Well, he's not wrong."

 

Minseok doesn't suffer for long, though.  Soon enough he's in the shower (sans feline ears or tail) washing the heavy black makeup off his face.  Chen "helps" as usual by scrubbing his favorite of the human's body parts until Minseok is slumped against him, biting at his neck.

"Fuck, ChenChen, it's almost like jacking me off in the shower is your primary purpose in life."  Minseok wraps his lips around Chen's chiseled jawline.

"It's near the top of the list," Chen confirms, twisting his wrist in a way that makes Minseok shudder.

"What's at the very top?" Minseok asks, feeling the beginnings of his first orgasm of the night swirling vaguely inside him.

Chen snorts.  "You know what it is—you fucking put it there."

Minseok grins against his demon's lips.  "Oh yeah.  Still not sure I don't regret it."

"You fucking love it," Chen asserts with another extremely-convincing flick of his wrist.

"I might," Minseok prevaricates.

Growling, Chen increases his efforts, and Minseok just rests his face in the crook of his familiar's neck, moaning and gasping beneath the warm rain of the showerhead.  The demon knows what he's doing, knows exactly how his human likes it, and Minseok makes no effort to hold back—it's not like he isn't going to enjoy at least one more orgasm once they hit the sheets.  He is so utterly spoiled by his familiar.

So he lets himself come all over Chen's wet and waiting abs, lets the demon hold him securely with one arm and shampoo his hair with the other, lets himself enjoy the afterglow in his body, the fondness from the link, Chen's warm skin pressed against him, Chen's clever fingers in his hair.

Ending his days in the shower with Chen and rosemary-mint shampoo is almost as nice as starting them in bed with Chen and coffee.

Languid from his orgasm and the last lingering effects of the alcohol, Minseok is drowsy and pliant as Chen dries him off and helps him into the bed.

"How are you going to feed your favorite familiar tonight, Minseokkie?" Chen asks.  "Should I fuck you?  Ride you?  Suck you off?"

"Surprise me," Minseok smiles up at his beautiful demon through half-closed eyes.  Everything always feels so good with Chen.

"Oh, I'm going to surprise you," Chen mutters, then tugs Minseok's legs so his ass is lined up with the edge of the bed.

Content to let the demon have his way, Minseok grabs the lube as he's manhandled (demon-handled?), chucking it at the horned head between his thighs.  Chen catches it without looking (like the smug showoff he is), but he still swipes a tongue over Minseok's asshole (like the filthy degenerate he also is).

"Gross," Minseok chides, though he's mostly un-bothered because the demon does indeed clean his favorite parts extremely well.

"You fucking love it," the demon challenges before prodding at the human's sphincter with what Minseok has reason to believe is an unnaturally long tongue.

"I might," Minseok concedes as he lets himself be licked and tongue-fucked by a possessively-growling beast, adding his own gentle moans to the half-lit room.  His cock is hardening again, probably thanks at least in part to the very slight tingle he feels down below.

Widening his stance so he's at a good height, Chen lubes his cock and lines himself up, holding Minseok's legs bent toward his chest as he slides home.  Twin groans echo in the semi-darkness,  then the demon grinds against Minseok's ass, moving slowly and slightly at first but quickly pistoning up to a tantalizing speed.  It feels amazing, the slide of Chen's cock lighting up all the sensitive nerves around his entrance.  But it's not quite enough to rile Minseok up properly, not after he's already come once, and after several sighing, panting minutes, it's becoming rather frustrating.

Minseok writhes, trying to tilt his pelvis to get Chen's cock to rub against that most sensitive spot, but Chen tilts his own hips to counter the human's goal, smirking at him as mischief and anticipation light up the link.

"You're such a tease," Minseok complains, but his half-chuckle takes any bite out of his bark.  "C'mon, Chenny—pound me properly."

"Uh-uh," Chen shakes his head, grinning at the human's annoyance.

"Why not?"  Minseok asks after several more barely-unsatisfying minutes, voice embarrassingly close to a whine.

"Because I'm gonna do this instead," Chen informs him before folding right the fuck in half and taking the head of Minseok's cock into his mouth.

Minseok yelps in alarm and pleasure, watching the seemingly-impossible sight of Chen's head bobbing up and down over his cock while he fucks into him at the same time.  Neither cock is being swallowed very deeply, all the stimulation for both of them concentrated on the sensitive head, and Chen is moaning his pleasure around the dick in his mouth while Minseok undulates beneath him, both overstimulated and craving more, more,  _more_.

"Fuck, Chenny," is all Minseok manages to articulate in actual words before he's reduced to nonsensical strings of syllables. 

Chen's moan is tainted by a chuckle as he continues to attack his human on two fronts.

There's no way a hot-blooded human can resist such an assault, and Minseok arches his back, hands tightening around the horns between his legs that he doesn't remember grabbing hold of.  He announces his orgasm in a ululating stream of vowels, as if the load he's pumping into the demon's mouth or the electricity he's shooting over the link weren't enough to inform the incubus of a job well done.

Chen straightens up, a bit of Minseok's cum running down his chin as he slams himself balls-deep and grunts his own completion in response.  He then collapses forward onto the human, wings opening a bit to break his fall.

They lay there, flat and twitching like a pair of squashed bugs, one with legs in the air and the other with wings awkwardly askew.

"You're a fucking freak," Minseok manages eventually, pretty sure the contortionist shit he just saw came straight out of The Wailing 2: The Cocksuckening.  Appropriate that his demon would bust out the horror-flick moves on Halloween.

"I am a fucking demon," Chen delivers his standard answer into Minseok's collarbone, then folds his wings enough to flop off the human onto his back.  "But humans can pull that off, too."

"Possessed humans," Minseok corrects.

"Nah, just flexible ones.  Byun said you're a really good dancer."

"I am also a mere mortal," Minseok asserts.

Chen just chuckles as he cleans Minseok up—with his tongue, in keeping with the creepy theme.  

"Ex-mortal," Chen reminds him between lewd slurps.  "You'll just have to practice.  I'm sure you can do it."

"Ugh, you're super gross," Minseok says, sensitive flesh flinching away from the demon's questing tongue.  "Why do I let you do this?"

"Because an incubus stole all your energy."  Another slurp.  "You can't get away."

"Oh, right."

When the incubus in question has deemed Minseok's ass clean enough and Minseok has deemed the incubus's mouth rinsed out enough, Chen tucks his human into bed properly and snuggles up beside him, radiating body heat and affection.

"Okay," Minseok murmurs, blissed out and utterly content.  "You've officially earned the crown."

"What crown?"

"The best I've ever had."

Chen sits straight up in bed, fists raised in victory.  "Fuck yeah!" he yells, probably loud enough to overcome the building's very good soundproofing.  Flopping down again, he wiggles happily against Minseok's side.  "I'm the best there ever was."

"Totally," Minseok agrees, drunk on the satisfaction pouring through the link.

"So where is it?"

"Where's what?"

"The crown I've earned for being the best."

"Oh."  Minseok buries his nose in spicy-scented demon.  "It's metaphorical."

"I need a real one.  So you don't forget.  I will wear it whenever we fuck."

Minseok snorts.  "I thought I was the princeling."

"You can have a crown, too.  But not because you're my princeling."  An arm and a wing and a leg and a chin make themselves at home over Minseok's body.

"Then why?" Minseok takes the bait.

"Because you're the best  _I've_  ever had."

So much pride blooms in Minseok's chest that he's not sure whether he or Chen is the originator of the feeling.  "Wow.  Your sample size is much larger than mine.  I feel like I've won a Daesang or something."

"My sample size is unfathomably huge.  You  _should_  feel fucking honored."

"Oh, I do," Minseok assures him, smiling into the dark.  Sleep is tugging at him, but a new thought parts his lips yet again.  "I should get a bigger crown, then."

Chen snorts.  "I guess I could let you have  _something_  that's bigger than mine."

Minseok growls, squeezing the demon draped over him.  "Again:  I am a mere ex-mortal."

Behind Minseok's closed lids, Chen's laughter sets the night aglow.  "I wasn't complaining.  My human is  _perfect_."

"That's right," Minseok mumbles.  "You fucking love this."

Another chuckle caresses the human's ears.  

"I might."


	19. Epawlogue

Chief Inspector Kim Minseok had intended to retire quietly when the time came.  He'd always planned to hand in his official letter of resignation without a fuss, and then work the last few months of his career as he always had, only designating more and more of his workload to his eventual successor until he had none left.  Then, he'd just stop coming into work, making himself available by phone if the new Chief Inspector needed some occasional guidance.  Eventually, he'd stop answering the calls.  A gradual professional fade-out, graceful and dignified.

Instead, there are multi-colored shiny metallic banners thirty centimeters high spelling out THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE and BEST WISHES FOR YOUR CONTINUED HEALTH AND HAPPYNESS.  They're garish and tacky and he's pretty sure "happyness" is misspelled, and along with the stupid conical party hat Byun is forcing him to wear and the sappy farewell-themed music pouring over the speakers of his uncle's bar (now managed by a cousin), this obnoxious celebration is everything he didn't want.

At least there's also cake.

And of course, he has his consultant—now his legal spouse, thanks to a change in legislation around two decades ago—by his side, answering all of the inane questions on the disgruntled former Chief Inspector's behalf. 

"Yes, we're very grateful he's been lucky enough to remain healthy."  Chen is bowing to one of the officers' wives, a petite woman Minseok knows he's seen before but he doesn't remember her name or even who her husband is.  Chen knows, of course, and he's asking about their children and making nice, sincere small talk that he makes Minseok appear to be eagerly participating in with his occasional "Don't you think, dear?" or "Isn't that right, honey?"

Minseok smiles and nods and plays along, bowing and thanking people—some in actual tears, to his surprise and embarrassment—that are coming up to him individually and in groups to thank him personally for his hard work and wish him well.  It's awkwardly touching, squirmingly sentimental, and the former Chief Inspector can fake people skills when he has to, can put people at their ease and be personable when it suits him, but right now all he wants to do is go home before another sobbing woman he vaguely knows throws herself in his arms for an uncomfortably-long period of time.

He is so lucky to have such a charming familiar.  One that is also entirely responsible for his health and for the clever makeup and silvery hair dye that masks just how healthy he really is at the age of fifty-five.  Chen's hair is also streaked with silver, but the demon cleverly makes it look like he's dying his to maintain his boytoy appeal despite his deepening crows feet and smile lines, while Minseok is genetically blessed to be a sexy silver fox with only a few job-induced frown lines to mar his still-youthful face.  Minseok never asked his familiar to play the role of the supportive house-husband, but he seems to derive a perverse enjoyment out of being the Chief Inspector's perfect "wife" (at least in front of the force) ever since they got hitched.

"Thank you—we plan to do a lot of traveling."  Chen answers the most common question Minseok has been asked today with the same excited sparkle in his eye that was there the first two dozen times. 

He's not even lying—they are planning to travel, out of the country where no one knows them or their families and where he won't be expected to visit more than once a year for Chuseok, a manageable amount of time to let Chen paint lines on his face and bleach the fuck out of his hair.  As long as he continues to keep his shirt on to hide the old-man body he doesn't have, he should be able to be a dutiful son for his parents' remaining years.  His mother just hit eighty this year and his dad is a few years older, but they're doing well health-wise, kept young by his sister's two children that are now attending Seoul National University.

He'll miss them, but he can be a dutiful, cool uncle by keeping up with them on their social media accounts and sending thoughtful gifts as an ongoing apology for not visiting more often.  Then they'll get busy with their careers and their own adult lives, and he can gradually fade out when they no longer need his support.

"It's good to see you—we'll miss attending the fundraisers for the children's home.  I heard you've been receiving regular, generous donations since the last one—oh, a conglomerate called Scarlet Sagwa?  Yes, I've heard they've been very dutiful to quite a few charities over the years."

Of course they have—it's in their contract.  Every year Minseok (with Chen at his side, of course) has endured a meeting with the Temptress and Lu, making a gradual tour of Seoul's fanciest restaurants and even making some overnight trips to Busan and Jeju island.  It didn't matter how good the food or how elegant the atmosphere—Minseok had spent every single one of those "friendly chats" stretched bow-tight with alertness and self-awareness, analyzing every statement that came out of anyone's mouth for possible problematic wording, desperate to avoid committing himself to anything he didn't actually want to agree to.  The Temptress found this highly amusing, but over the last twenty-seven years she's proven to be a skilled but honest negotiator, at least with her favorite assassin and his favorite human.

He still hates the fucking collar, though.  Accepts it, relies on it, is grateful for it, even, but still fucking  _hates_  it.

The next pair to congratulate them is at least one he knows well.  Detective Byun isn't far from retirement himself, enjoying training the next generation in the art of both doing a good job and driving superior officers crazy.  He married Mr. Park in the courthouse the first day it was legal for them to do so, determined to be the stable, supportive nuclear family Yuna and Mina deserved.  Both girls are grown and married themselves, and the products of those unions are drowsing in their grandfathers' arms, a kindergartener on Byun's hip and two toddlers cradled in Mr. Park's oversized arms.

"We're going to head out," Byun says, giving Minseok and Chen one-armed-but-squeezingly-sincere hugs.  "The grandkids need their rest."

"Of course," Minseok answers for himself this time, waving his fingers at the shy little boy half-burying his face in Byun's shoulder. 

Mr. Park and his band still play in this very bar, but that leaves him with free time in which to lovingly care for his grandchildren during the days while their mothers build their careers.  He also insists on stealing them several evenings a month, to allow his daughters to spend quality time with their husbands.  If he'd learned one thing from the nightmare that almost stole a daughter from him, it was to make sure his girls could stand on their own two feet, and that they never felt trapped by responsibilities they were too overwhelmed to meet.  So far, it seems like they're both happy in their choice of husband and livelihood, probably because it takes a brave, respectful man to marry a woman whose fathers are a giant and a cop.

"Thanks for coming, and for bringing these delightful angels to smash retirement cake all over their adorable little faces," Chen adds, prompting the proud grandfathers to coo in unison at the children in their arms.

"We had fun.  And we're going to miss you.  I'll do my best to keep Chief Inspector Lee from blowing up your phone."

Minseok waves this off.  "Aw, let the boy call.  I always wished I had an Ultra Chief Inspector to call when I was young and felt in over my head.  My mentor believed in the sink-or-swim method, but I'm happy to let the kid have some time in the wading pool." 

Minseok had hand-picked Lee Minhyung from the pool of fresh academy graduates five years ago and had trained him to be the benevolent dictator the department needed.  He's pleased with how the boy is turning out and is able to surrender his post without anxiety.

"You're too soft," Byun chides, the smile on his face and the admiration in his eyes stealing any insult from the words.

"You've been abusing that fact for decades," Minseok smiles back.  "Now you're someone else's problem."

Mock offense distorts Byun's face.  "I have your number, too, you know," he threatens.

"Good," Minseok grins.  "Feel free to use it—I'll need a good laugh from time to time."

Byun chuckles.  "You'll be having too much fun already, anyway," he assures his former boss.

Minseok sighs.  "Only because Chen will force me to."

Chen snakes an arm around his husband's waist.  "That's because you deserve all the fun in the world, Minseokkie," he coos, freely exposing his favorite pet name now that decorum among colleagues need not be maintained.

Minseok responds to his husband's exaggerated heart-eyes with a look of fond disgust, prompting Byun to chuckle and cover his grandson's eyes. 

"Okay, you two are gross, we're leaving before you scar the children."  

There are handshakes and bows all around, and the happy family exits stage left.  Moments later, there's a commotion stage center when Detective Do forgets that he and his husband are in their early fifties, having the taller man lift him onto his broad shoulders so the shorter detective can attack the misspelled sign with a permanent marker and a pair of scissors, correcting the error with the unyielding efficiency for which he is known.

"At least he waited 'til Byun left," Chen smiles at Minseok's side, replacing the stupid hat the guest of honor again attempted to remove.  "Anything that full of bling has to be his handiwork."

Minseok nods, proud smile on his own face as his favorite detective fixes what's been annoying him since he walked in.

Revisionist work complete, the detective gives Minseok a triumphant thumbs up, still seated on his husband's shoulders.  "Better now, Boss?" he calls over the crowd.

"Yes, thank you, but I'm not your boss anymore," Minseok calls back with a grin.

Do shrugs before sliding off his helpful assistant, the triumphant pair wading through the crowd to give the former Chief Inspector a long hug.  

"We'll name our next poodle after you," the detective promises.  "We'll find a handsome silver one that's just slightly neurotic."

"Perfect," Chen laughs.

"I'm honored, I think," Minseok smiles. 

The detective and his handsome veterinarian have had many of the intelligent creatures over the years.  Minseok thinks they've got half a dozen well-trained, pampered dogs at the moment, some from breeders and some from rescue groups, and Doctor Kim enjoys taking them around to schools and funfairs to show off their tricks and give amusing presentations about animal health and responsible pet ownership.  

A bit of residual resentment leaks across the link as Chen asks about each of the dogs by name, cooing and laughing over shared anecdotes.  Chen has suffered over the years due to the detective's close association with "his" vet, because Minseok had felt obligated to make sure "Chingu" always got the recommended routine care.  He'd even brought the irate little cat in to be neutered "to improve his temperament and keep him healthy," only to regret his life choices  _so hard_  when he'd had to then fuck a bleeding, ball-less demon to feed him well enough for the furious creature to regenerate the missing bits, a horrifying process Minseok hopes never to witness again for _any_  of his familiar's body parts.

He'd needed so much venom to stay hard and climax during that nausea-inducing scene.

From then on, Chen had to play the neutered male whenever he grudgingly went in for the yearly vaccinations and health screenings the friendly vet dutifully reminded Minseok about, hating every minute of the indignity aside from the fact that Minseok allowed him to temporarily remove his ear and nipple rings for the duration of the appointments, not wanting to explain their presence to the animal-loving doctor.  Chen had always played up his feline suffering at the vet's hands, angling to be allowed to leave the hated jewelry off, but Minseok takes great joy in the silver adornments and always made his familiar replace them as soon as possible.

Chen had to content himself with making himself look older and frailer over the years at Chingu's vet visits, until Minseok had deemed his imaginary pet old enough to "die" so he could sadly report having buried his beloved cat at his parents' home after eighteen years of companionship.  Chen had tried to talk him into letting Chingu die sooner, but Minseok had always argued that he'd always gotten the best care and all his screenings always came back normal, so it would look suspicious if he didn't last until a ripe old age.

Having only been free of the charade for the last nine years, Chen understandably still has uneasy feelings about the sweet-faced animal doctor.

"He's so nice," Minseok would always say after they'd socialized with his favorite detective and his handsome husband.

"He cut my nuts off," Chen would always answer, and then they'd both cringe and abruptly change the subject.

So if a little more glee than seems otherwise appropriate is currently leaking across the link as Chen promises that they'll keep in touch, that they can call any time, that he expects cute videos of poodle tricks to be uploaded to social media for him to appreciate on a regular basis, well, Minseok can't exactly blame him.

The opposite sensations drown the link when the next pair comes to say their goodbyes.  There are tears in the imp's eyes as he crushes his "cousin" in a hug while Minseok finds himself folded against his second-favorite detective's broad chest. 

"I'm so fucking proud of you," Minseok informs his former rookie.  Their noodle has grown into a capable and highly-skilled detective, the type to observe carefully and then make intelligent intuitions that often break open cases for the team.  "I know I'm leaving the department in good hands for another five years at least."

"I'll keep everyone in line for you, Boss," Detective Oh smiles.  "Chief Inspector Lee should have things under control by the time I hit retirement age myself."

Minseok smiles at the loyal man.  "I have every confidence you'll be as helpful to him as you've been for me," Minseok declares before surrendering the lanky detective to Chen's fond embrace.

Taozi does not actually hug Minseok, being unable to touch him without being zapped by the collar that protects the human from all demons that aren't his own familiar.  Still, the imp hovers close enough to Minseok to shed hot tears on the crown of his head.

Like Chen, Taozi has also altered his appearance over the years, seeming to age at a rate that matched his perpetual boyfriend.  The pair had never seen the need to actually get married, content to casually live together and entertain each other and have screaming-hot sex without the binding paperwork.  They also enjoy small fluffy dogs but only ever have one incredibly-spoiled creature at a time, Vivi being succeeded after sixteen years by another white ball of fur they call Candy.  

As he had done with Vivi, Taozi takes Candy everywhere with him, not wanting the pet to be lonely while his other dad is at work, and today is no exception.  The dainty little dog rests contentedly in her owner's arms, wagging her puffball tail slightly when Minseok strokes her exposed side in vicarious affection for her master.

"I'm going to miss you," Minseok murmurs to the thoroughly domesticated imp.  "You're always welcome in our home."

Taozi nods, too emotional to speak.  He presses a kiss to the top of the little dog's head before burying his red eyes in white fur.  Candy licks her owner's arm and he strokes her ears, taking a deep breath as he draws comfort from his pet.

Minseok just smiles, amused that a cat would become so attached to a dog, but the imp hasn't worn his feline form—or even just his ears and tail—in almost three decades.  He's probably far more human than demon anymore—he's pretty sure demons aren't known for their tears or their ability to bond so contentedly with a single human, much less a domestic pet.  But then again, the imp has always been very human-oriented, almost needy in his pursuit of the praise that lets him thrive.  If he's getting a steady diet of sincere compliments from one human, he doesn't need to look anywhere else, and who's better at wide-eyed adoration than a devoted lap dog?  Maybe it makes more sense than he though it did.

In any case, Minseok is quite content to leave this particular demon running amok in the city he's devoted over half his life to protecting.

The last person to cry on Minseok is thankfully someone else he knows and loves, and the ex-Chief feels his own eyes water a little when the gentle holy doctor pulls him into an emotional hug.  

"My charities will all go bankrupt without the pair of you," Father Zhang complains with a watery smile.

"Nonsense," Minseok assures him.  "You've been getting record donations every year.  I'm sure that will continue."  Minseok  _is_  sure, because Scarlet Sagwa is the largest donor.

"I hope so," the coroner laughs.  "I'll miss you both anyway."

"The feeling is mutual, Doc," Chen smiles, but the link betrays that it isn't really.  Chen has always been a little on edge around the holy man, though Father Zhang obviously likes and respects him and Chen hides his apprehension so well Minseok can only detect it because their souls are connected.

"If you ever end up in Changsha, let me know—I'll recommend some restaurants and places to stay."

"That would be appreciated," Minseok smiles, but he has no idea where they'll end up.  Chen knows all of the languages (okay, not technically  _all_ , but over a thousand which is baffling because there are only about two hundred countries on the globe so that's like five languages per country and that seems like a fucking  _lot_ ) so their demonic mistress could send them literally anywhere and they could build a decent life.  He assumes he'll find out in a few days at their annual exorbitantly-expensive Meal of Stress.

But tonight the ex-Chief Inspector is consuming free cake, free greasy bar food, and once everyone's done expecting him to be lucid and social, free soju.  Chen drinks with him but it never seems to affect him, and usually Minseok resents that he's the one to get stupid while his familiar just laughs at him.  But at least tonight it works in his favor, because Chen is sober and freakishly strong, so when Minseok slings an affectionate arm around his neck and goes in for a kiss that would probably have ended up being both sloppy and way too intimate for a public place, his familiar merely places a seemingly-companionable arm around his husband's waist, working flirty fingers into Minseok's belt.  Then, he hauls the retiring patriarch of Seoul's finest out the door in a way that makes it look like Minseok is supporting his own weight, helping him to bow and wave and make a graceful, dignified exit that he'd never have been capable of on his own after four bottles of soju.

"You're the best wife," Minseok slurs as Chen pours him into the passenger seat of the company car they'll be returning to the station tomorrow for the last time.

"Only for you, Minseokkie," Chen coos at him through a laugh before driving the inebriated human home.

 

Minseok renews the sentiment in the morning, when he opens his eyes only to slam them shut again in regret, his whimper cut off by a gentle kiss.  Then strong hands help him sit up, a mug of coffee is pressed into his fingers, and several small round objects are deposited into his palm that are probably headache pills but which Minseok would still have swallowed desperately even if he'd been told they were poison.

"Best wife ever," he moans once the flavor of the perfect coffee replaces the taste of dead animal in his mouth.  "I didn't feed you last night—take what you need, my abyssal angel."

Chen snorts.  "First, this is just more proof that you love coffee more than me.  Second, you can feed me tonight when you feel well enough to participate so that I don't feel like I'm fucking a corpse."

"I love you slightly more than I love coffee," Minseok protests, eyes still shut.  "Most of the time, at least."

"Good," Chen says, fuzzy feline ear tickling Minseok's shoulder.  "Speaking of fucking a corpse, I have a surprise for you in the bathroom as soon as you're able to join me."  Lips press against Minseok's pounding temple, then the sheets rustle as the demon moves away.

Minseok smiles into his coffee.  It's not really a surprise if the demon does it every time they shower together, but he enjoys it nonetheless.  Though if he said he wasn't going to feed, perhaps he means something else.

Half an hour later, when the caffeine and the tablets have rendered him much more human, Minseok drags himself slit-eyed into the en-suite, only to wrinkle his nose at the chemical smell of hair dye and blink stupidly at all the little bowls and brushes on the bathroom counter.  They'd just touched up Minseok's gray a few days before the party, and his brain still isn't working quickly enough to provide any clue as to why they'd be doing it again or why they'd need so many separate treatments.

"The fuck?" he says intelligently, but he allows his nude body to be tugged over to sit on the lid of the toilet.

"You trust me, right, Minseokkie?" Chen sings.

"Fuck no," Minseok spits.  "I mean, with my life, sure.  But with my dignity?  Not now that I don't have a job where other humans expect me to look a certain way—oh!"  An idea is shoving itself through the sludge of his hangover.  "I don't have to be gray anymore."

Chen beams at him.  "Will you let me fix it for you?"

"Will you make me look like a clown?"  There are a lot of bowls—how many colors might that represent?

Chen tilts his head.  "I still have to be seen in public with you, don't I?" he grins.  "I'm no invidius, but I still have a vested interest in making you look good."

Minseok considers, then shrugs.  It's only hair, after all.  "Go for it."

His familiar gives him another blinding smile that his hungover eyes have trouble looking directly at, then soft lips are on his cheek.  "Just close your squinty little eyes and let me take care of you, Minseokkie."

"This seems like a setup," Minseok mumbles, but he complies.

Chen sings as he works, brushing goo methodically into Minseok's hair, tilting his head to various angles, making him rinse his hair in the shower only to towel it off and apply yet more goo.

Finally, Chen directs a now-very-awake Minseok to shower again, hopping in with him to help him rinse everything out of his hair.  The water running down his body is an alarming shade of indigo, and Minseok narrows his eyes at his familiar.

"Don't panic," the demon says before Minseok can even open his mouth.  "At least see it before you hate it."

But when he sees it, Minseok doesn't hate it.  It's mostly back to his natural black, but the longer hair around his crown and over his forehead is decorated with subtle streaks of blue, purple, and indigo in a way that makes him look young and edgy without being juvenile or tacky.  It's a sophisticated, sexy look, and Minseok raises a black angled brow at his own reflection.

"We can always make it all black if you hate it," Chen grins, already knowing that his human likes it thanks to the link but cheekily wanting Minseok to say it out loud.

"It's fine like this," Minseok says, giving his gleeful familiar the gratification of a small smile.  "Thanks, Chenny."  He presses a kiss to the demon's hairline.  

"Hey, I just got tired of fucking an old man," the demon deflects.  "Now I get to bone a super-hot grad student.  Probably a performing arts nerd.  Maybe a dancer."

Minseok snorts.  "I see how you are," he chides.  "I'm just a dress-up doll for your fantasies, now?"

"After almost three decades of playing whatever role your Special Ops team needed from me, it's my fucking turn."

 

He's not wrong, so Minseok cooperates gamely the following evening as his familiar dresses him up in his favorite of Minseok's suits, a well-tailored navy blue pinstriped number that broadens his shoulders and elongates his legs.  But instead of feeling mature and professional in it like he usually does, he feels downright rakish, thanks to the black silk shirt that's unbuttoned enough to expose an unprofessional amount of throat, flashes of collarbone, and even a hint of chest; the wide gold chain that he still hates even though it draws the eye to said collarbones; mismatched dangly gold earrings; and tight black eyeliner, heavily winged at the outer corners to make his eyes look even more feline than usual.

"Is this a futuristic drug lord concept?" Minseok asks his reflection.

"Ooh, I can work with that," Chen grins into the mirror.  "I was aiming for irreverent playboy, but as long as you feel powerful and sexy I'll consider it a success."

Minseok turns, the better to see his fancied-up familiar.  "You've obviously gone for the disdainful fuckboy look, yourself."

In a stylish black blazer and matching trousers tight enough to cling to his assets, Chen gives him a dead-eyed stare through tousled bangs, black eyes made searingly intense by judicious makeup.

"You're really selling it," Minseok smirks.  

"I'm obviously a dangerous demon assassin, ready for re-assignment."  He leads the way out of the apartment.

"Ah right, it's my turn to be  _your_  dutiful wife, is that it?"  Minseok grins as he leans on the button for the elevator.

"You'd be a terrible wife," Chen informs him as the doors slide open.  "We'd both be dead within a month."

Minseok scowls as they step into the stainless steel carriage.  "I admit I'm not always great about taking care of myself, but I always take good care of you," he defends.  "I feed you well, take you fun places, buy you cool toys—wait." Minseok's scowl deepens.  "I'm not your wife, I'm your sugar daddy, aren't I?"

Chen chortles as they stroll through the lobby, bowing politely to the security staff.  "I can't believe it took you twenty-seven years to figure this out."

"Well, maybe if you ever acted like a sweet, submissive sugar baby instead of a bratty, obnoxious fiend, I'd have put the pieces together sooner."  Their cab is already waiting at the curb, and Minseok opens the door and gestures his "sugar baby" inside in an exaggerated manner.

Chen laughs but lets Minseok hand him into the vehicle before rounding the boot to climb in himself.  He gives the driver the address, then regards his mischievous familiar with condemning eyes as the vehicle joins the stream of traffic heading downtown.

"Would you really want someone sweet and submissive?" Chen asks with a flirty smile.

Minseok presses his lips together in thought.  He vaguely remembers wanting something like that, once upon a time.  That version of himself seems dull and far away.  "Nope," he admits with a sigh and a shake of his head.  "You've completely ruined me."

Chen's laughter carries them through the Seoul night.

 

Minseok may technically be fifty-five years old, but as he strolls through the lobby of the five-star hotel that houses the fancy restaurant that is the site of tonight's meeting, he feels every inch the suave young playboy, tossing winks at pretty ladies and lifting his chin with a smirk in response to glares from their escorts.

"Dying your hair turned you into an asshole, I see," Chen observes once they're in the elevator that will carry them up to the French place they'd taken Lu to all those years ago.  They don't usually meet at the same restaurant more than once, but the invidius had wanted to go back to their beginning for their final meetup in Seoul.

"I think it's the earrings, actually."  Minseok tilts his head, causing the dangly gold jewelry to brush against his neck on one side.  "They make me feel sassy.  A sassy asshole—a sasshole."  He grins at his own cleverness.

"Just stop," Chen deadpans.  "Your terrible portmanteau offends me."

"Hey, I'm old enough to make terrible dad jokes," Minseok smirks.  "Expect a lot more retired-people humor."

"You can't claim old-man privilege and also make flirty faces at college-age girls," Chen chides as the elevator dings.  "That makes you officially a pervert."

"Pretty sure fucking a demon for twenty-seven years is what makes me officially a pervert," Minseok says, earning a scathing glare from his familiar as they head toward the hostess stand.

Minseok flirts with the hostess, too, enjoying the smear of embarrassment that seeps across the link and his familiar's strained smile.  He's not a public figure anymore, he has no need to be uptight or image-conscious, and no one's going to recognize a purple-haired, guyliner-wearing playboy as the retired Chief Inspector.  After decades of reigning his demon in, it's fun to be the obnoxious one in public for a change.

"You're awful," Chen mutters as they're shown to their table.  "I've made a terrible mistake."

"Only one?" comes an amused voice from across said table as the hostess bows and returns to her post.

"Many," Chen amends, seating himself across from a smirking Lu, leaving Minseok to sit opposite the Temptress.

"You look dashing this evening, Chief Inspector," she purrs, leaning forward to rest an elegant hand on the white linen tablecloth.  "This look suits you far more than being gray and distinguished."

"You look well yourself," Minseok replies honestly.  She's wearing a slinky red dress that's cut to expose one refined shoulder, and her hair is pinned up with gold ornaments accented with rubies.  Another ruby sits in the hollow of her throat, and gold bangles adorn her wrists.  "But I'm not the Chief Inspector anymore—I don't need to be distinguished."

"Quite so," the Temptress agrees.  "We are looking forward to the next chapter in our partnership."

Minseok suppresses a snort.  It's very diplomatic of the succubus queen to say "our partnership" rather than "your servitude" even though that's of course what it is.  "And what will this next chapter entail?"

The Temptress leans back, bracelets jingling musically.  "Now, my good Inspector," she pouts.  "We shall enjoy a leisurely chat over a lovely meal.  The evening is yet young, and so are you."

Minseok suppresses another snort, but manages to nod politely and engage in a bit of small talk until the server arrives.  The Temptress and Lu both order in flawless French, as does Chen, then he glances at his husband with a lifted brow.  Minseok nods at him, so Chen hands the human's menu to the server accompanied by another stream of French, and then the bowing man disappears.

The Temptress regards Minseok with amusement.  "It must be difficult to only live one lifespan and learn only one language," she observes.

Minseok's face heats.  "Plenty of humans know multiple languages despite our meager lifespan," he responds, managing to keep his tone polite.  "I know basic English, some Japanese, and a decent bit of Mandarin, because those are the languages I'm most likely to encounter in Seoul."

"We stand corrected, fierce little human," the Temptress smiles, and Minseok thinks maybe he didn't control his tone as well as he'd thought.

"I meant no offense," he offers, face still hot.

"Neither did we," she responds, and then their attention is drawn by the arrival of the sommelier.  

Lu does the honors of cork-sniffing and wine-sipping before accepting the man's offer to pour for them, leaving behind two bottles at the request of the invidius.  

"You really do look sinfully delicious tonight, Chief Inspector Minseokkie," Lu smirks.  "Bold fashion suits your bold personality."

"I'd return the compliment, but you know exactly how good you look," Minseok responds.  "And again, I'm no longer the Chief Inspector."

"Ah, but still an Inspector, I think," Lu says, resting his perfectly-pointed chin in his perfectly-manicured hand.  "Should that please Your Seductive Elegance?"

"He will need something to keep him busy," the Temptress responds, eyeing Minseok contemplatively.  "Would you enjoy doing similar work in your next life?"

Minseok shrugs.  "I like helping people," he says.  "I agreed to this in order to do good for humanity."

"And so you shall," she affirms.  "Having a pet Inspector serves our purposes well, so if you have no objections to continuing to serve us in that fashion, we needn't wait for you to re-educate yourself."

"You mean go to university?" Minseok asks, having never considered doing that.  He's biologically closer in age to a grad student, being perpetually twenty-eight, but his babyface means he could easily pass for a co-ed if he dressed the part.

"That is one of many options," Lu replies, giving him a perfect smile.  "I've been very curious to see what you'll negotiate for this time, Inspector Minseokkie."

The invidius shifts his smile to their returning server, and he gets overly familiar with the man as he "helps" him distribute the appetizers.  When the flustered man bows and scurries off again, silence descends as the four of them enjoy the fancy fare.

"So what concessions do you require from us in order to accept relocation and redirection?" the Temptress asks once the fine china in front of her is empty.

"That depends entirely on the relocation and redirection," Minseok replies, pushing his own empty plate aside and reaching for his wineglass.

"Hmm.  We can make use of your skills and your familiar in any major city, but the bigger, the better, of course," the Temptress says. 

"Of the ten largest cities in the world, you claim to be familiar with the languages of half of them, so perhaps you'd prefer to relocate somewhere that you wouldn't need to rely entirely on JD's communication skills," Lu suggests.

Minseok considers.  "So, somewhere else in Asia, then?"

The invidius nods.  "Tokyo is the largest city in the world, but if you're not ready to live somewhere four times as populated as Seoul, then Osaka has only twice as many people as your current home.  Shanghai and Beijing are also similarly-sized, but if you wanted to experience the Western world, there's always New York City."

Minseok shakes his head.  "That's too far for now.  I want to be able to visit my family for Chuseok, and I want to be nearby to bury my parents when the time comes.  Once I've exceeded my natural lifespan, you can send me anywhere."

The Temptress inclines her head in understanding.  "The human concept of filial piety is foreign to us, but we have observed how deeply rooted it is in this part of the world, especially.  We will not interfere."

"Would you be happier in China or Japan, Minseokkie?" Chen asks.

Minseok considers.  "Father Zhang is from China.  He always speaks highly of his homeland."

"Then if it please Your Seductive Elegance, may I recommend Beijing?" Lu suggests.  "I lived there for a long time, so I could help get them settled."

Again, the Temptress bestows agreement with an elegant tilt of her head.  "We shall see that the necessary paperwork is filed to grant you both a legal identity," she says.  "What names would you like to assume?"

"My family name is common enough in China if we use the Mandarin pronunciation," Minseok says, wanting to carry something of his ancestors forward into his new life.  "And Chen's name is already Chinese."

"So, Jin Chen and Jin... Min-shik?" Lu offers the Mandarin pronunciation of the human's given name.

Minseok makes a face.  "I know you all think I'm fucking scrumptious, but naming me "dessert" is a bit much."

Lu laughs.  "That's not the meaning in Mandarin, of course.  But if not for your flavor, we shall name you after your appearance," he declares.  "Jin Chen and Jin Xiumin will soon have passports and plane tickets to Beijing."

"Hooray," Minseok intones, just in time for their entrees to arrive.

Silence and small talk alternate as the food is devoured, but eventually the weight of the Temptress's gaze once again rests on Minseok.  "Well then, our beautiful gemstone, we think you'd be more useful to us as a private investigator this time around.  We already have pawns in politics, but your skills will be valuable in tracking down those who have displeased us so the Death Dealer may do his duty.  You may fulfill your desire to assist your fellow humans by accepting any other cases you wish."

"Chen's still only slaying demons, of course," Minseok states.  "And the prohibition on killing or coercing while your people feed in Seoul still stands.  The charitable donations you're making to Korean organizations will also continue.  I'm happy to help the people of China, but my loyalty is still to my homeland."

"So we see," the Temptress smiles.  "We are curious to see how many centuries your attachment to the place of your birth will last.  It is very interesting having an immortal human as a partner."

"Speaking of partners," Lu leers at Minseok.  "Do you think I'm pretty, Inspector?"

"Sure."

"Pretty like a girl?"

_What the fuck is the right answer here?_   A glance at Chen provides no assistance, so he calls on all his diplomacy.  "You'd likely meet most standards of beauty, regardless of gender."

The Temptress laughs.  "Oh, you remain delightful.  We're so glad we kept you alive."

"I'm glad, too," Minseok says, unsure whether she's pleased by his tact or by the fact that he'd as much as indirectly insulted Lu by avoiding giving his personal opinion.

The slight isn't lost on the pouting invidius, but a heartbeat later he's turning on the charm again.  "I will be happy to get you settled in my favorite Chinese city if you help keep me well-fed," he bargains.

Chen scowls.  "You know I hate when others feed from what's mine," he warns.

"I'm well aware," the invidius smirks.  "But I only want to use him for his pretty face and prettier manners," he says.  "I'm merely proposing he take me out on a few dates.  There will be no touching, of course—unlike JD, I am not into being shocked.  But if he were to escort me as a female to popular first-date spots, I'm sure I'd be able to gorge on the envy of other women to have such a perfect companion, and it would be a way for him to practice the language and get to know the city."

Minseok watches his familiar for a reaction, but though Chen's jaw is set, he only shrugs.  "If there's no touching and you're not feeding directly from him, I guess I'm fine with that."

"It sounds fine to me," Minseok agrees.  It actually sounds pretty fun.  And it'll be even more fun to take Chen back to the cheesiest of the date spots, just the two of them, so he can indulge his newfound penchant for embarrassing his familiar in public.

"Then we are all agreed?" the Temptress asks.

Minseok again looks to Chen for confirmation.  When the incubus nods, Minseok lifts his gaze to the demon queen that is essentially his boss for the rest of eternity.

"So be it," he intones, just in time for dessert to arrive.

 

Chen instructs the cab driver to take them to Gangnam instead of back to their flat, and while Minseok raises a brow at the grinning demon, he doesn't object.  He lets his familiar escort him around the fashionable club district, crowds parting around the compelling creature like usual.  Chen keeps looking at Minseok, the link pulsing with lust at every glance, and eventually he pulls Minseok to the edge of the busy walkway to press their lips together beneath a streetlight.  

Minseok responds at first, amused and flattered by the fact that his familiar is unable to keep his hands to himself, but he pulls back when the kiss threatens to become heated.  "Are you an invidius now?" he asks.  "Or just an exhibitionist?"

"I'm fine with people watching," the incubus smirks.  "I know how to put on a good show."

"You're a freak," Minseok informs him, not for the first time.

"I'm a fucking demon," Chen reminds him, also not for the first time.

"I'm fucking a demon," Minseok responds with a lifted brow, then his face melts into a laugh at the demon's exasperated eyeroll.

"Maybe the old jokes will be less obnoxious in a new language," Chen posits, then draws his laughing husband back into a kiss.  "I missed having a young and sexy human in public."  He smiles into Minseok's eyes when they separate again, the gentle expression looking incongruous with his clothing and makeup.

"Well, you'll get to have one for a decade or so," Minseok grins back.

Chen shakes his head.  "Beijing is huge—nobody's going to notice if you don't seem to age," he declares.  "You'll be your own boss, and you won't have co-workers, and your clients will be new every time.  There's no reason to pretend to age unless you do something stupid like making mortal friends."

Minseok laughs.  "That's unlikely, seeing as all my Korean mortal friends were met through work," he says.  "But if I do get too friendly with the neighbors, we can probably just move to another apartment in another part of the city."

"There will be a lot of work for me to do," Chen informs him.  "We'll probably stay for around fifty years if I can take out two or three targets per day."

Minseok lifts a brow.  "That's a lot of stabbing."

"Good thing I'm good at stabbing," Chen grins, and the sadistic glee fits the concept of his current styling much better.  

"As expected from the Death Dealer," Minseok grins back.  "It's even more obvious now that I'm just a pawn to get you to belong to the Temptress.  You don't actually need me to help you, she just humors me so I'll agree to let you do her dirty work."

Chen shrugs.  "I'm your familiar.  She can't have me at all if you don't agree—you know this."

Minseok does know this, but it's not exactly reassuring.  Sure, Chen has explained that the Temptress can't use him as an assassin if he's bound to the abyss, so by keeping Minseok alive and cooperative, she maintains eternal, exclusive access to her favorite toy.  The incubus has tried to convince his human that he has all the power in this arrangement, that he could demand more of the Temptress and she'd happily comply, but Minseok remains unswayed even after more than a quarter-century.  

He doesn't like trading favors with a powerful creature of chaos, even if her actions on Earth don't seem to be precisely  _evil_  as much as shamelessly self-serving.  It's a small comfort, because her actions in the abyss toward his precious familiar were definitely evil, and Minseok remains unconvinced that the Temptress wouldn't prefer having Chen screaming in endless agony for her amusement instead of dealing the death he's evidently famous for.  He's not going to treat her like his own personal wish-granting genie, because if the mercurial creature decides Minseok is becoming too bothersome, she'll just arrange for him to die one way or another and reclaim her pet punching bag.

It's not just his own life Minseok owes to her continued clemency, and while he's still determined not to give her more than what he must, he's also determined not to take more than what he strictly needs.

Chen kisses away his husband's lingering frown.  "Relax, Minseokkie.  You did well—you never compromised your oath to protect the people of Seoul, and you've arranged ongoing benefits for your homeland.  Your precious ethics are intact, and they're unlikely to be tested in our new life—you'll have no more responsibility to the people of Beijing than any other law-abiding citizen.  You'll get to continue taking care of people, only now it'll be on your own terms.  Plus I get to stab demons.  What is there to object to, really?"

"I'm not suffering or anything," Minseok admits.  "I just hate being used."

"You like it when I use you, though," Chen smirks.

"You're incapable of using me, not selfishly, at least.  You love me way too much."  Minseok lets his lips curve into a small smile.

"I do," Chen grins back.  "But that's not going to stop me from eating my scrumptious little dessert."

"That's  _fucking_  scrumptious, I'll thank you to remember."  Minseok's eyes are trying for stern but his smile is neutralizing the effect.

"How could I possibly forget?" Chen's face is the picture of apologetic respect, but the link is singing with his smug ownership as they continue to stroll through the flashy streets of Gangnam.

 

They're both worked up to an uncomfortable level of arousal by the time they return home.  Chen had kept pulling Minseok into alcoves to run his fingers through purple-shaded hair and steal sinfully-intimate kisses, and Minseok had responded aggressively, pouring enough admiration, appreciation, and affection down the link that the demon had always been the one to become flustered and pull away.  Chen had retaliated by showering Minseok with sincere compliments until the human's cheeks were flushed with pleased embarrassment, and Minseok had escalated by groping Chen's ass whenever the crowd pressed them close together enough to do so fairly discreetly.

They don't even make it to the bedroom.  In fact, they barely make it off the elevator with their clothing intact, both losing more than a few shirt buttons before the too-slow car disgorges them onto the ninth floor.  They stumble down the hallway still attached at the lips, and Minseok just manages to kick the door to the flat closed behind them before he's being shoved down onto the faux leather sofa, Chen's hands efficiently opening his fly.

"Fuck, Chenny," he gasps as the demon's hot little mouth engulfs his painfully-hard cock.  "Fuck, you're so fucking good."

Chen whines around Minseok's dick, sinful hands migrating to his lap to take hold of his own cock while he sucks.

"Don't you dare," Minseok commands, threading his fingers through Chen's unruly locks.  "I know you get off on having a powerful man at your mercy, but you fucked up this time.  You made me into an irreverent playboy, then you paraded your tight little ass around in those fuckboy pants all night."

Minseok tightens his fingers to what he knows is a painful degree, using the hair in his grip to pull Chen's face further down on his cock.  "My little sugar baby is going to be an obedient little submissive, and if he's a good boy, I might just let him come when I'm done with him."

Chen's eyes roll back as he chokes out a needy moan, lust and shame sizzling across the link in equal portions.  Minseok grins at the reaction, fucking into the demon's throat a few times before pulling back enough to let him take a breath.

"That's right, be a good little cocksheath for your master.  That's what you're good for, isn't it?" Minseok buries himself again in the convulsing heat of his familiar's throat.  "Good boy," he praises as Chen tries to swallow, forcing stray saliva to drool from the corner of his mouth.  "You always take my cock so fucking well."

The link is incandescent with embarrassed desire and Minseok moans, letting his familiar hear how good he's making him feel.  He again gives the demon a moment to breathe, then shoves his cock back into that wet hot paradise. 

"Fuck," he moans again as he bounces Chen's head in his lap, looking down to watch himself disappear between serifed lips stretched thin around his cock.  "So fucking good."

Chen is moaning, too, and drooling all over Minseok's crotch, soaking the pinstriped fabric of his master's trousers with saliva as he soaks his own with pre-come.  The link is a writhing feedback loop, amplifying and reflecting their lust for each other into a throbbing heat that threatens to overwhelm Minseok's control.

"Gonna come in you, pretty boy.  Gonna pump you full, then I'm gonna turn you around and do it again.  Gonna be overflowing from both ends, just like my little fuckboy deserves."

Chen groans filthily, lined eyes looking up through long lashes as Minseok forces himself deeper, and the lust-drunk gaze and the vibrating heat of the demon's throat are enough to rip his climax from his gut.

"Fuck, Chenny," Minseok gasps.  " _Fuck!_ "

He pulses his release down the demon's gullet, not giving him a choice in swallowing it or not.  When his cock stops throbbing after several incredibly satisfying moments, Minseok pulls out enough to allow his familiar's clever tongue to milk him clean.

"Good boy," he praises, pulling Chen up onto his knees to claim a filthy kiss, licking bitter spend and tingling venom out of his familiar's mouth before shoving him back on his ass on the floor.  

"Strip," Minseok demands as his cock plumps back to full hardness.

Chen obeys, pinning him with a resentful glare even as the link is singing with excitement and desire.  "The earrings were definitely a mistake," he growls as he shrugs out of his blazer.

"I said strip, not talk," Minseok snaps.  "Your mouth has already served its purpose."

The glare and the lust both intensify as Chen presses his lips into a thin line, fingers slowing on his shirt buttons and straying to brush his nipples.

Minseok lifts an angled brow in warning, but Chen just sticks out his tongue.

"Someone doesn't actually want to be fed, I see," Minseok says, leaning forward to grab a fistful of the demon's hair once again.  "Just want to be a fucktoy for your master?  That can be arranged."

Chen whines as Minseok drags him over to the much-abused kitchen table, flinging him onto the polished surface chest first and twisting an arm up behind his back to keep him there.  The demon's pants are unzipped from his attempt to fondle himself earlier, so it's easy enough for Minseok to tug the waistband down one-handed to expose his familiar's tightly-clenched hole.

"Playing hard to get for me, now, hmm?" Minseok flicks the closed ring of muscle with a fingernail.  "What happened to my good boy?"

"You don't want a good boy," Chen spits as his horns and tail manifest.  "You'd rather wrestle with a brat."

"How convenient," Minseok states, catching the lashing spade-tipped tail with his free hand and tucking the unruly appendage into the fist gripping Chen's wrist.  "Because a brat is what I seem to have."  Free of interference, Minseok swats the rounded globes presented so beautifully at the edge of the table.

With his shirt still on, Chen remains wingless as he yelps at each stinging blow.  Minseok spanks him until his ass is cherry red and his own hand is tingling, and when he stops, the demon relaxes his clenched ass muscles automatically.  Smirking in triumph, Minseok shoves himself inside.

Chen yells and bucks against the wood but Minseok is merciless for two reasons.  First, the demon is way stronger than the human, and in the absence of a direct order to stay put, if he didn't want to be pinned against a table he fucking wouldn't be.  And second, the link is white-hot with lust as Minseok works his cock deeper into his familiar, rocking his hips in firm, determined thrusts.

"Does my little brat like this?  Hmm?  Do you like being pinned and helpless while your master forces you to take his cock?"

When Chen only whines, Minseok slaps his reddened ass again, drawing a sobbing moan and a resentful "Yes."

"I know you do, my little fuckboy.  How lucky that you have such a good master who takes such good care of his little brat, who's willing to hold you down and make you take it like the pretty little cocksheath you are."

Chen's chesty moans vibrate the wood beneath him as his lashing tail fights to get free from Minseok's iron grip.  But Minseok hangs on, to the wrist and tail with the hand that's pressing his weight onto Chen's back, and to the demon's jutting hip with the other hand, providing leverage for longer, deeper thrusts.

"Always so tight for me, ChenChen," he growls.  "So fucking tight for your master."

Chen groans and clamps down around him even more, making it difficult to move at all with only half-dried demon spit for lube, and Minseok hisses at the intense stimulation as he continues to rock his hips against that bright red ass.  The link resonates with the demon's desire to come, to collect all the built up tension to recharge his energy, to make Minseok feel incredible so the harvest will be even more bountiful.

"My bratty little sugar baby loves being a good fuck for Master, don't you?" Minseok moans, pounding into Chen harder, feeling the link light up with stinging arousal every time Minseok's hipbones slam against the abused globes of the demon's ass.

"Y-yes," Chen gasps, moans made staccato by the repeated impacts.

"That's right, you fucking love being Master's cocksheath, you fucking love when Master fills you up with come," Minseok pants, his own arousal coalescing into a heated coil in his gut.  "Do you want your master to feed you, little brat?  Should your master let you come even after you've been so naughty?"

"Yes," Chen whines, high and desperate.  "Fucking  _yes!"_

"Ask me to feed you," Minseok demands, fighting off his end.  "Tell your master what you need."

A swirl of resentment only fuels the inferno of the demon's hungry lust, but his whines are wordless complaints as he's pounded brutally against the unforgiving edge of the table.  

"Come on, stubborn fiend," Minseok coaxes.  "I'm almost done with your hot little ass, so if you want to come on Master's cock instead of into your own pathetic fist, ask for what you need."

Chen's whine escalates into a keening wail as Minseok changes angle to hammer directly at his familiar's prostate, cresting over a sob before breaking into a desperate, "Fucking  _feed me,_  Minseokkie!"

Laughing at the demon's staunch unwillingness to beg, Minseok gives in to his familiar's demand.  "Oh, I'm gonna feed you, Chenny-Chenny.  Gonna feed you so fucking well.  Come when Master comes—take everything Master gives you."

Minseok thrusts once, twice, hard and deep as Chen tightens around him and then he's growling his beloved's name between curses as he shoots his satisfaction into the demon's spasming depths.  Utterly spent, he collapses over the demon's back, releasing his punishing grip on wrist and tail only to be promptly lashed across the ass by the vengeful spade-tipped appendage.

"Such a brat," Minseok murmurs against Chen's shirt.

"Such an ass—I'm fucking melting those earrings," comes the amused rumble beneath him.

"Noooo, the source of my sasshole powers," Minseok protests as Chen pushes off the table into a standing position, the sleepy human sliding toward the floor for a split second before being caught in the demon's firm embrace.

"Oh yeah—they've definitely gotta go."

Minseok pouts against the demon's smile as gentle fingers relieve him of the problematic jewelry.  Chen drops the dangly bits of metal on the table behind him, then scoops Minseok up and carries him to bed.

 

Nude and clean and wrapped up in various demonic appendages, Minseok nuzzles sleepily against Chen's chiseled cheekbone.  "'M gonna be so homesick," he mumbles against soft warm skin.  "I've never lived outside of the greater Seoul area."

Chen hums thoughtfully into the dark.  "You know, I might almost understand.  It's so strange to have enjoyed living somewhere enough to feel a little sad about leaving," he says.  "But it will be fun to explore somewhere new with you, Minseokkie."

"You still gonna call me that when 'm Xiumin?" Minseok asks, pressing himself closer to his darling demon.

"Of course," Chen answers.  "You'll always be my Minseokkie."

"Mmm.  'N you'll always be my Chenny-Chenny."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our story has come to an end, but if you want more of our bickering heroes, there's a sequel underway! The first chapter of Demeowniac has been posted, so feel free to check out the next work in the series.


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